
aass_Ji X_2jii. 

Book ^^1 
Goipghtl^? L^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



MEDITATIONS 

ON 

OUR LAST END 

AXD OX 

SIN AND THE SACRAMENT 
OF PENANCE 



BY 

BROTHER PHILIP 

SUPERIOR-GENERAL OF THE EROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 



NEW AND REVISED EDITION 



AUTHORIZED ENGLISH VERSION 



LA SALLE BUREAU OF SUPPLIES 

50 Second Street, New York 

1911 






Jftlftl ©batat: 

KEMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.L., 

Censor Librorum. 
December 19, 1910. 

Smttrtmatttr: 

^ JOANNES, 

Archiepiscopus N eo-Ehoracensis. 
December 22, 1910. 






Copyright, 1011, Peter Muth. 
(0:CI.A289466 



INTRODUCTION 

With the exception of love^ nothing more powerfully 
determines the human will than hope and fear. Hope 
supports man; it encourages and stimulates him in his 
progress toward virtue, by pointing out the crown pre- 
pared for him at the end of his career; fear keeps him 
in the path of virtue, by showing him the abyss into 
which he would fall should he retrace his steps or turn 
aside to the right or the left. Hope gives the just man 
a foretaste in this life of that happiness which he is 
meriting by his good works; fear oppresses the sinner 
by the anticipation of the punishments awaiting him. 
Hope gives us strength in the combat, and patience 
under trials; and when every other sentiment seems 
to yield to the enemy of salvation, fear is our protec- 
tion in the most violent temptations, and is, in our 
regard, the beginning of wisdom. (Ps. ex. 10.) 

There is nothing, then, that urges us more forcibly 
to advance in the right path than these sentiments of 
hope and fear. Now what subjects of meditation are 
more calculated to produce this result than those on 
the ^^last end of man"? Is it not chiefly by the con- 
sideration of the precious advantages of a good death, 
of the happy sentence awaiting the just, of the beau- 
ties of heaven and the unending joy of the elect, that 
hope is kept alive in our breasts? Is it not, in like 
manner, when we reflect upon the death of the sinner, 

iii 



IV INTRODUCTION 

upon the judgment which he must undergo^ the con- 
fusion to which he will be subjected^ at the last day^ 
and the everlasting torments of hell to which he will 
be condemned, that fear penetrates our souls? Is it 
not then we cry out;, It is a dreadful thing to fall into 
the hands of the living God (Heb. x. 31), and do we 
not then dispose ourselves rather to suffer any evil 
than deserve this greatest of all misfortunes? 

It is certain, then, that meditation on these great 
truths cannot fail to be of great profit to us. Be- 
sides these reasons, however, there are many others 
which are no less weighty. 

It is indispensably necessary for us to be upon our 
guard against the allurements of the world, and to 
entertain the highest esteem for all Christian virtues. 
Now what is more calculated to accomplish these two 
objects than meditation on our last end ? It is, indeed, 
from the viewpoint of death and eternity that we dis- 
cover the nothingness and vanity of earthly things, and 
understand the folly of attaching ourselves to them. 
Then it is that we can estimate at their real value suffer- 
ings and afflictions borne for God^s sake, the privations 
imposed upon us by the religious life, the value of 
obedience, of chastity, poverty, and humility, and the 
merit of perseverance in the service of him who will be 
either our generous friend or our inexorable judge. 

^^Seek not sensible consolation in mental prayer,^^ 
says St. de la Salle* ^^Hold to what is of faith, to that 
which leads to hatred and destruction of sin ; to detach- 
ment from created things; to the imitation of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the exercise of the virtues he 

♦Treatise on Mental Prayer. 



INTRODUCTION V 

practised.'^ Meditation on our last end is evidently 
calculated to produce this result: it has made mar- 
tyrs and peopled deserts; it has sustained the apostles 
of all nations and all times under their labors; it has 
restored the fervor of monasteries and led countless 
souls to heaven. 

Was it not meditation on our last end that induced 
us to enter religion ? ISTow^ if it be true that all things 
are preserved by the principles that established them^ 
is it not by reflection on these great truths that we 
shall secure our perseverance? 

Thus, whatever be our point of view, we see how 
advantageous and even how absolutely necessary it is 
for us to meditate in a special manner on our last 
end. It is not, then, without reason that we think this 
work will supply a real want. 

We have divided it into fifty heads, in order to have 
a meditation for every Monday morning not a feast 
day. We think once a week not too often for reflecting 
on these important truths. Each subject comprises 
three parts — the consideration, the application, and the 
prayer, and concludes by indicating the page of the 
book of Resumes, where the Brothers will find reflec- 
tions that may assist them in the performance of this 
exercise. 

Only thoughts suggested by faith have influenced us 
in compiling this book, which we have undertaken and 
completed with a view to rendering service to our 
Brothers. We have placed ourselves face to face with 
these great truths, and have endeavored to reproduce 
the impression which they made upon our hearts. Some- 
times we express truths that are solemn, even awful; 



VI ■ INTRODUCTION 

but of what avail to disguise them;, or lessen their 
terrors? Since they are truths which ought to be 
known, should we not, if we really wish to profit from 
them, represent them as they are, and as the Church 
wishes us to see them? 

Besides, on this subject, we need fear nothing, for 
no language, however strong, can ever adequately ex- 
press the terrors of God's judgments upon the sinner, 
or the horrors and torments of hell. 

The subjects of which we treat are not adapted ex- 
clusively to religious, because it is particularly in our 
character as Christians that we should meditate on our 
last end; and therefore these meditations may be use- 
ful to all classes of persons, even those outside of the 
Institute. 

To these meditations upon the Last End, we have 
added some upon Sin and the Sacrament of Penance, 
which may be read, if thought advisable, on confession 
days and in times of retreat. 

We pray God to bless this little work, and make it 
conducive to his glory, the salvation of souls, and the 
advancement of all our Brothers in the path of re- 
ligious perfection. 

Brother Philip. 



CONTEN'TS 



PAGE 



14 

20 
26 



P 



Introduction — Meditations on Our Last End 
First Meditation — The Eemembrance of our Last 

End ........ 

Second Meditation — Sin is the Cause of Death 

Third Meditation\ — The Shortness of Life . 

Fourth Meditation — Certainty of Death 

Fifth Meditation — The L^ncertainty of Death 

Sixth Meditation — The Unexpectedness of Death 32 

Seventh Meditation — As our life is, so Shall our 

Death be" 39 

Eighth Meditation — Motives to Prepare for Death 4^ 
Ninth Meditation — The Peace of the Just when 

Dying 51 

Tenth Meditation — Trouble of the Lukewarm 

Soul at the Hour of Death .... 57 
Eleventh Meditation— The Fervent and the Luke- 
warm Eeligious at the Hour of Death . . 63 
Ttvelfth Meditation — God Threatens Sinners that 

He Will not Hear Them at the Hour of 

Death 70 

Thirteenth Meditation — State of the Sinner When 

Dying 76 

Fourteenth Meditation — Who Those are that Die 

a Bad Death 82 

Fifteenth Mediiation — It is ISTecessary to Prepare 

for Death 88 

Sixteenth Meditation — The Death of the Just . 95 
Seventeenth Meditation — A Good Death . . 101 
Eighteenth Meditation — The Last Sacraments . 107 

vii 



Vlil CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Nineteenth Meditation — Eeeommendation of the 

Soul 113 

Twentieth Meditation — The Holy Longing for 

Death 119 

Twenty-first Meditation — State of the Body after 

Death 125 

Twenty-second Meditation — State of a Soul that 

Awaits Judgment 131 

Twenty-third Meditation — The Particular Judg- 
ment 137 

Twenty-fourth Meditation — Jesus Christ the Su- 
preme Judge 143 

Twenty-fifth Meditation — Judgment of the Im- 
perfect Eeligious 149 

Twenty-sixth Meditation — Vain Excuses of the 

Imperfect Eeligious 155 

Twenty-seventh Meditation — Judgment of the 

Just Soul 163 

Twenty-eighth Meditation — The General Eesur- 

rection 168 

Twenty-ninth Meditation — The Eisen Dead Await 

their Judge 175 

Thirtieth Meditation — The Necessity of the Gen- 
eral Judgment 181 

Thirty-first Meditation — Manifestation of Con- 
sciences 187 

Thii^ty-second Meditation — The Two Sentences . 193 

Thirty-third Meditation — The Last Farewell . 199 

Thirty-fourth Meditation — The Eeality of Hell . 205 

Thirty-fifth Meditatio7i—The Torments of Hell . 212 

Thirty-sixth Meditation— The Hell of the Soul . 219 

Thirty -seventh Meditation — The Hell of the Body 226 

Thirty-eighth Meditation— The Eternity of Hell 232 



CONTENTS IX 

PAGE 

Thirty-ninth Meditation — Sentiments which the 

Thought of Hell Ought to Produce . . 238 

Fortieth Meditation — Existence of Purgator}^ . 244 

Forty-first Meditation — The Sufferings of Purga- 
tory 250 

Forty-second Meditation — Sufferings of the Souls 
in Purgatory at Eemembrance of their 
Faults 256 

Forty-third Meditation — Motives for Succoring 

the Souls in Purgatory 262 

Forty-fourth Meditation — Beauty and Excellence 

of Paradise 268 

Forty-fifth Meditation — The Happiness of Heaven 274 

Forty-sixth Meditation — The Company of the 

Blessed 280 

Forty-seventh Meditation — The Possession of God 286 

Forty-eighth Meditation — The Bodies of the 

Saints in Heaven 292 

Forty-ninth Meditation — The Happiness of the 

Elect is Eternal . . . . . .299 

Fiftieth Meditation — The Thought of Heaven . 305 

Fifty-first Meditation — November 1 — Feast of All 

Saints 311 

Fifty-second Meditation — November 2 — All Souls^ 

Day 317 

MEDITATIONS ON SIN AND THE SACRAMENT 
OF PENANCE 

First Meditation — Sin in General .... 323 
Second Meditation — The Sin of Lucifer and his 

Angels 329 

Third Meditation — The Sin of Adam and Eve . 335 

Fourth Meditation — The Malice of Mortal Sin . 341 



X CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Fifth Meditation— Th^ Effects of Mortal Sin . 347 

Sixth Meditation — The Loss of God . . . 353 

Seventh Meditation — Yenial Sin .... 359 

Eighth Meditation — Sin in a Christian . . . 365 

Ninth Meditation — Sin in a Eeligious . . . 371 

Tenth Meditation — Eelapse into Sin . . . 377 

Eleventh Meditation — The Prodigal Son . . 383 

Twelfth Meditation—The Memy oi God , . . 389 
Thirteenth Meditation — Jesus Christ Destroying 

Sin 396 

Fourteenth Meditation — The Saints and Sin . 403 
Fifteenth Meditation — Jesns Christ and Sinners 409 
Sixteenth Meditation — Institution of the Sacra- 
ment of Penance 415 

Seventeenth Meditation — Benefits of the Sacra- 
ment of Penance 431 

Eighteenth Meditation — Preparation for the Sac- 
rament of Penance o 427 

Nineteenth Meditation — Contrition . . . . 433 
Twentieth Meditation — The Sentiments of a Re- 
pentant Sinner 439 

Twenty-first Meditation — Qualities of Confession 445 
Twenty-second Meditation — Satisfaction . . 451 
Twenty-third Meditation — Avoiding the Occa- 
sions of Sin . . . . . . . . 457 

Twenty-fourth Meditation — Necessity and Quali- 
ties of Conversion 463 



MEDITATIONS ON 
OUR LAST END 

FIRST MEDITATION 
THE REMEMBRANCE OF OUR LAST END 

In all thy work remember thy last end, and thou shalt 
never sin. — Ecclus. vii. 40. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us imprint deeply on our minds this truth which 
the Holy Ghost teaches us by the mouth of the Wise 
Man. Yes ! if we reflect deeply upon our last end, 
upon death, judgment, heaven, purgatory, and hell, 
we shall never sin. 

Experience teaches this. Let us question our own 
memory. Very often, alas! we have offended God; 
but was it not because we diverted our thoughts from 
death and its consequences? What a number of faults 
should we not have avoided if, when the devil tempted 
us to commit them, we had considered the infinite 
happiness which we were then imperilling, and the 
rigorous judgments which we were then preparing for 
ourselves ! 

It was from meditation on their last end that the 

1 



2 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

saints derived strength to resist the greatest and most 
dangerous temptations. Some^ like St. Jerome^ closed 
their ears to the suggestions of the devil^ imagining 
that they heard the trumpet of the angel calling all 
men to the general judgment; others, like St. Mar- 
tinian, opposed to the fire of concupiscence the inex- 
tinguishable fire of hell, whose horrors they vividly pic- 
tured in their imagination. 

The martyrs triumphed over all sinful allurements, 
by fixing their inward gaze upon the ineffable happi- 
ness of the elect and the everlasting torments of the 
damned. St. Justin, speaking in the name of the 
persecuted Christians, says: ^^We wish for nothing so 
much as to suffer for Jesus Christ, that we may be pre- 
served from hell and may merit heaven. If you knew,'' 
he adds, ^Vhat the everlasting fire of hell is, and what 
are the delights of paradise, you would envy the happi- 
ness of those who, for justice^s sake, are tortured by 
fire and the rack; you would despise the death of the 
body, and fear only the eternal death of the soul, and 
the fire that will never be extinguished.'' St. Polycarp 
replied to his judges : ^^You threaten me with fire that 
burns for a time, but you know not of the future judg- 
ment and the everlasting fires kindled by the justice 
of God." In this manner did almost all the martyrs 
express their sentiments. We learn from their exam- 
ple that neither man nor devil could draw us into sin 
were we profoundly impressed with the thought of our 
last end. 

Who, indeed, would dare offend God if he reflected 
that death might surprise him in the commission of 
sin, and transport him to the tribunal of Jesus Christ, 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD o 

without leaving him time to repent? Who would dare 
sin if he thought of the terrors of a wicked death, the 
sentence of damnation, and the endless torments re- 
served for sinners? Who would dare sin if he imag- 
ined himself hanging over the abyss of hell, suspended 
by a thread from the hands of God, that omnipotent 
Master whose holy law he is tempted to violate? 

Who would dare sin if he thought of heaven, with its 
pure, everlasting, and ineffable joys, compared with 
which all the pleasures and riches of this world are 
only dust and pollution? 

ISTo ! Assuredly he would never sin grievously and 
deliberately, whose soul was penetrated with the thought 
of his last end, and who, in all his undertakings put 
himself in presence of death, and asked himself what 
at the moment of death he should wish to have done. 
The remembrance of his last end would soon dry up 
in his heart and soul the source of all his vices, and 
raise a barrier against all the inclinations of corrupt 
nature. 

And, indeed, what sin could then find entrance into 
his soul? Could it be pride? No; for, filled with the 
thought of death, he well knows that he is nothing, 
that he should attribute nothing to himself, that God 
alone deserves all honor and glory. 

Will he become attached to the goods of this world? 
Assuredly not, when he continually remembers that 
all his possessions must pass from him at death, that 
he enjoys them not as absolute owner, but for a little 
time as their steward, and that he must render an ac- 
count of his trust. Then he will understand that all 
the treasures of earth are nothing in comparison with 



4 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the heavenly treasures which he is called to possess 
forever. 

Will he follow the attractions of sense? Will he 
give ear to the suggestions of the devil? Will he suffer 
attachment to creatures or love of pleasure to enter 
his heart? No; because the thought of the judgments 
of God, of the severity of the punishment inflicted on 
the sensual, will seize him with fear and trembling; 
and, very far from committing such actions as would 
expose him to endless torments, he will rather con- 
demn himself to all the austerities of a rigorous pen- 
ance. 

If a religious man, will he regret the world that he 
has quitted? On the contrary, he will look upon his 
vocation as the safest way to eternal salvation. A 
thousand times will he bless the giver of all good 
things for having withdrawn him from the world, and 
from all in it that might have been to him an occa- 
sion of sin and everlasting damnation. 

Not only does he who reflects on his last end avoid 
sin, but he advances with ardor in the practice of all 
virtues. He knows that life is the time for sowing, 
and that death is the season for gathering in the har- 
vest. He employs all his time in doing good, and 
enjoys in advance the happiness of the faithful servant 
whom the Master, when he comes, finds watching. He 
loves God above all things; he joyously consecrates to 
him all the thoughts of his mind, all the affections of 
his heart, and all the impressions of his senses. He 
lives every day as he would wish at the hour of death 
to have lived. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END O 

APPLICATION 

Convinced that the devil^ the world, and the flesh 
could never acquire a mastery over him who, by medi- 
tation, should keep his last end ever present to his 
mind, or who would recall this thought in moments of 
difficulty, let us, at the first approach of temptation 
at the first idea of sin, or suggestion of guilty pleas- 
ure, be careful to ask ourselves what would become of 
us were we to die in the commission of sin, or imme^ 
diately afterwards, without having time to repent. 
what strength and courage would not this thought 
give us to drive far from us the enemy of our salva- 
tion ! 

Let us think of our last end when we are about to 
receive the Sacrament of Penance. What is more cal- 
culated to inspire us with contrition for our sins, and 
with the firm purpose of never again committing them ? 
Let us think of our last end when we encounter diffi- 
culties that must be overcome, trials that must be 
borne. How many sacrifices, even those hardest to 
make, would seem to us both light and easy if we con- 
sidered them in their relation to death and judgment ! 

Let us think of our last end when we feel tempted 
to yield to weariness, and to enter on the fatal path of 
tepidity, and we shall be incited to return to our first 
fervor and regularity. Let us think of that death that 
we must meet, that judgment that we must undergo. 
Let us think of heaven, where we shall dwell eternally, 
if we have lived holily. Let us think of hell, and 
those frightful torments that are the everlasting pun- 



6 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ishment of all who die enemies of God; and, as St. 
Teresa counsels, let iis often go down there while 
living, that we may not after death be cast into its fires. 

PEAYER 

I know, my God, that I should not have been so 
cold and remiss in thy service, had I not neglected to 
meditate upon my last end. But I will repair this in 
future. I will endeavor to dry up the source of all my 
sins by remembering the eternity that awaits me. I 
will frequently ask myself, "How, at the hour of my 
death, shall I wish to have acted, and I will try to 
perform all my actions with the greatest fidelity to 
thee. This is the grace that I earnestly ask of thee, 
my God, by the merits of Jesus Christ, and through 
the intercession of his most holy Mother. 

Resume, page 164. 

Nothing is better calculated to make us avoid sin 
and practise virtue than the remembrance of our last 
end: 

1. The Holy Ghost himself teaches this. 

2. Experience proves it. 

3. How can we commit sin, and think of death, of 
judgment, of heaven, of hell, of eternity ! 

4. The remembrance of our last end prevents sin in 
its very origin by directly combating pride, covetous- 
ness, sensuality. 

5. It moves us to practise virtue. We are disposed 
to make sacrifices in time when we remember eternity. 

— Let us then think often of our last end ; above all : 

1. In moments of temptation. 

2. When we are preparing for confession. 



MEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 7 

3. When the occasion for any sacrifice presents it- 
self. 

4. When we feel inclined to tepidity. 

5. In the morning, when we rise^ . . in the eren- 
ing, when we retire to rest. 



SECOND MEDITATION 
SIN IS THE CAUSE OF DEATH 



In what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the 
death. — Gen. ii. 17. 



CONSIDERATION 

Man was not created to die. Being the image of 
God, he should to some extent share in God^s eternity^, 
and so escape the ravages of time. Indeed, in the 
terrestrial Paradise, Adam and Eve were not subject 
to suffering, sickness, or to any of the evils that afflict 
us. The subjection of their body and its senses to the 
spirit, made the service of God sweet and easy to them. 
All creatures obeyed them. Death could not approach 
the garden of delights in which they dwelt, and which 
they were to quit only to be placed in the abode of 
everlasting happiness. By the fruit of the tree of life 
they would always have preserved vigorous health, and 
maintained themselves in perpetual youth. Such was 
the original order which sin, alas! was soon to over- 
turn. 

God subjected Adam and Eve to a trial. Of every 
tree of paradise, thou shalt eat, said he to Adam, hut 
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in what 
day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death. ^ 

Nothing was easier than to give this proof of obedi- 

^Gen. ii. 16, 17. 

8 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END ^ 

ence which he demanded of them, and to which they 
were inclined by love for their Creator and gratitude 
for his benefits, as well as by their fear of death and 
their natural dread of the destruction which he pointed 
out to them as the sanction to his commandment. But 
giving ear to the suggestions of the infernal serpent, 
or yielding to a criminal complaisance, they preferred 
their own satisfaction to the will of God, and ate of 
the forbidden fruit. From that moment they lost their 
prerogatives, and severed their relations of love with 
God. Seeing in him then only an angry Master, and 
overcome with shame, they concealed themselves, seek- 
ing to avoid his presence. But soon they heard his 
voice, and the words that rang in their ears are those 
of a malediction, whose effects were to last through 
ages. Cursed is the earth in thy tvorh, said the Lord 
to Adam. . . . In the sweat of thy brow shalt 
thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of 
which thou wast taken, for dust thou art, and into dust 
thou shalt return,^ 

Such was the sentence passed upon our first par- 
ents, and in them upon their unhappy posterity. They 
sinned, and as a consequence they and their descend- 
ants have been condemned to an inevitable death. By 
one man, says St. Paul, sin entered into this ivorld, 
and by sin, death; and so death passed upon all men, 
in whom all have sinned.^ 

Adam and Eve saw Abel, their best beloved son, 
stricken down by death; a little later the same fate 
met themselves. So is it with all men. Death reigns 
as sovereign over them. Sin has placed in his hands a 

^Gen. iii. 17, 19. ^Rom. v. 12. 



10 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sceptre of iron, which every living thing here below 
must obey. 

Who, then, will not hate sin which is the cause of 
so great misery? We weep over the ravages of death, 
over the ruin which it has wrought; let ns weep still 
more over that which introduced it into the world and 
gave it its power. Let ns hate sin with all the horror 
which so great an evil should inspire. 

Let ns be well persuaded .that sin is death : death 
to the soul, and the source of death to the body; death 
to individuals, and death to society. If it reigns in a 
community, a city, a state, all there is confusion, all 
is destruction: soon nothing will be left but ruins. Is 
not this the teaching of history as to all times and all 
nations? Is it not a fact of universal experience? 

Yes, we shall all die, for we are all children of a 
guilty father; and the day is perhaps not far distant 
when it shall be said of us, as of so many others : "He 
is dead, he has ended his career here below; he has 
entered upon his eternity : he is dead.^^ 

Yes, we shall die, because we have all sinned in Adam, 
and in ourselves. We shall die, because we all have 
within us that which is the cause of death, sin. To 
each of us, as to our first parents, it has been said: 
Dust thou art,, and unto dust shalt thou return !^ We 
shall die, because the poison of sin within us is deadly, 
and must necessarily produce fatal consequences. We 
shall die, because we are sinners, and because, as Saint 
Paul teaches, the wages of sin is death. ^ 

^Gen. iii. 19. -Rom. vi. 23. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 11 

APPLICATION 

Let us adore the justice of God in pronouncing and 
executing the decree that condemns guilty man to 
death. Let us deplore our miseries, but above all, let 
us deplore their source. 

We frequently shudder at the sight or thought of 
death. Let us not forget that sin caused this evil, that 
sin subjected all the children of Adam to this penalty, 
and let us, therefore, hate sin even more than death 
itself. Above all, let us hate it because it offends an 
infinite God. It is on this account far more to be de- 
plored than all the evils that follow in its train. 

Let us prove our hatred of sin by our care to avoid 
it. Let us fear even the smallest sins. Let us care- 
fully shun every occasion of offending God. We take 
many precautions against death; have we not far more 
reason to keep sin at a distance from us? Let us fear 
even its shadow. Let us ask this favor through the 
intercession of Mary, whose foot has crushed the ser- 
pent's head, and whose all-powerful protection will se- 
cure our triumph over all the efforts of the devil to 
drag us into sin, and through sin into everlasting 
death. 

Following the example of our first parents, let us 
repent of our sins. With a view to satisfy Divine Jus- 
tice, let us accept with resignation all the sufferings and 
trials of life, and even death itself to which we are 
all condemned. Let us imitate the saints, who not 
only accepted death with resignation, but even longed 
for its coming. They wished to pay their debt to God, 
and to offer to him in union with their dying Savior, 



12 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the homage of their adoration. Besides, they had the 
unshaken hope of a glorious resurrection. They knew 
that Jesus had destroyed sin, and led death captive. 
They believed that he had limited its power and broken 
its sceptre, and, with St. Paul, they cried out : death, 
where is thy victory?'' 

Like them, let us hope for the resurrection on the 
last day, and prepare ourselves for it by the practice 
of virtue. Let us esteem the life of grace, and by our 
perseverance therein secure for ourselves the life of 
glory. Let us so act that, in the words of St. Paul, 
as sin hath reigned to death, so also grace might reign 
by justice unto everlasting life, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord.^ 

PEAYER 

I adore thee, Sovereign Master, passing upon us 
the sentence of death. I know that I have sinned, and 
I acknowledge the justice of thy sentence. Let my 
body then be reduced to dust, since it has been an 
instrument of sin; but have pity on my soul, and re- 
ceive it in thy mercy. my God, I offer thee my life, 
I sacrifice it to thee. One thing only do I ask, namely, 
to recover and thereafter preserve the innocence of 
my baptism, that I may live and die in thy love. 

Resume, page 164. 

Let us consider death in its true cause. 

1. Man was not created to die. 

2. Nourished by the fruit of life, he might have 
lived forever. 

^1 Cor. XV. 55. *Rom. v. 21. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 13 

3. But he lost innocence, and with it its preroga- 
tives. 

4. God, being angry with him, said: "Dust thou 
art, and unto dust thou shalt return/^ 

5. Ever since that day death reigns supreme here 
below. 

— Meditating on these truths: 

1. Let us adore the justice of God. 

2. Let us bewail the misfortunes of men, but espe- 
cially sin, which is the cause thereof. 

3. Let us have a horror of sin, and fly from its very 
shadow. 

4. Let us accept death in expiation of our sins. 

5. Let us reanimate our hope in the resurrection, for 
Christ, in destroying sin, destroyed the power of 
death. 



THIRD MEDITATION 

THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE 

For what is your life? It is a vapor wliich appeareth for 

a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. 

— James iv. 15. 

CONSIDERATION 

What is man's life upon earth, and who will make 
US comprehend how transient it is? Is it not like a 
shadow which eludes our grasp, a vapor which is scat- 
tered by the slightest breath? Do not our days pass 
away like the swift waters of a torrent, whose course 
nothing can stop? 

how quickly we disappear from this world: the 
great as well as the lowly and poor, the learned as well 
as the ignorant, all are hurrying on to death ! For all 
of us, life is but a step from the cradle to the grave. 
Some men make a little more noise than others, but 
they pass away with equal rapidity. 

How many generations have already succeeded one 
another on this earth, so justly called a place of pas- 
sage? How quickly everything changes and even dis- 
appears ! Which of us, on revisiting, after an interval 
of a few years, the place where he once lived, is not 
astonished and even amazed at the changes that have 
taken place and at the numbers whereof he is told: 
''They are dead!'' 

14 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 15 

The worlds according to St. Paul^ is only a figure, 
a representation which is neither substantial nor per- 
manent. It is, as it were, only a stage which every 
one occupies for a few moments while performing his 
part, and then gives place to another, who also quickly 
disappears in his turn. 

We appear and disappear almost at the same instant. 
Death hastens to us, and we hasten to it ; every instant 
every step, every breath, brings us nearer to the mo- 
ment of death. I make a motion of my body, I utter 
a word, I breathe a sigh, and that motion, that word, 
and that sigh, are so much taken from my existence. 
Our life is so short that we may consider as present 
the moment that will end our earthly career. Soon 
we shall repeat the words of the holy King Ezechias: 
My generation is at an end; and it is rolled away from 
me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a 
weaver; whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me 

off.' 

How do the years that we have already lived now 
appear to us ? Those that are yet to come seem indeed 
to be something, but when we shall look back upon 
them, they will be no more than a dream that has fled. 
The bark that goes down a stream, leaves behind on the 
waters a furrow that soon disappears. Just as quickly 
will the years that remain to us glide by, if indeed 
there are years still in store for us. 

What do the saints in heaven think of the length of 
life? What do the damned in hell think of it? Let 
us pass the same judgment with them: it is the only 
true one. With reason has the Scripture said: Man, 

^Isai. xxxviii. 12. 



16 MEDITATIOXS O^ OUR LAST E^^D 

horn of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with 
many miseries. Viho cometh forth like a flower, and 
is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never con- 
tinueth in the same stated We indeed pass away like 
the waters of a river w^hieh never return to their 
source. Our life is so short that it may be compared 
to a summer cloudy which is seen for a few hours and 
then vanishes out of sight. 

Let us be profoundly convinced of the truth of these 
salutary maxims^ and let us regulate our conduct by 
them. Do we not see that what has happened to those 
who have gone before us^ will soon happen to us ? They 
have inhabited the same cities^ the same houses as 
we; they have possessed the same advantages that we 
now possess^ and they are dead ! And in passing from 
this world to the next they carried with them nothing 
but the virtues which they had practised^ or the crimes 
of which they were guilty. 

Let us then understand that he is happy, a thousand 
times happy^ who, considering the shortness of life^ 
and viewing all things with the eyes of faith, despises 
what is transitory and clings only to what is perma- 
nent. Let us say with all the saints: "Thy years, 
God, are eternal ; those of man, thy creature, are fleet- 
ing; for the instant that ends them seems all too soon 
to follow that which began them. Thou hast ordained 
it so ; that, detaching his heart from all that surrounds 
him, he might fix his affections wholly upon thee, the 
only unchangeable good, and regarding the moment 
of death as present, be always ready to appear before 
thy tribunal and render an account of his works.^' 

^Job xiv. 1, 2. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EKD 17 

APPLICATION 

The moments of our existence escape us almost be- 
fore they seem to have begun ; and yet, alas ! we think 
so little of this, that we seem scarcely to notice it. We 
are like travellers descending a rapid river, who, de- 
ceived by their senses, would persuade themselves that 
its banks were moving from them, but that they them- 
selves were stationary. ^MioUy intent on what is passing 
around us, we do not reflect that we ourselves are 
passing away, and that we shall soon have disappeared 
from this world. 

And yet of what immense value are those moments 
that so quickly glide away ! Each of them might pur- 
chase for us an eternity of happiness, and each, alas ! 
might also be the beginning of an eternity of misery. 
Let us, therefore, be convinced of the importance of 
emiDloying them all well, and let us be careful to make 
a right use of them. 

What should we think of a poor man who, having 
for a few minutes permission to take out of the treas- 
ury of a rich man all the gold and silver that he want- 
ed, should employ the time in gathering up trifles and 
children's toys? Doubtless we should blame him se- 
verely, and treat him as a fool. And yet are we more 
excusable, do we act more wisely when we lose the time 
that God gives us, although we know that it is short 
and uncertain, and that by using it properly we shall 
merit eternal happiness? A diamond would appear 
very precious to us if it would enable us to purchase 
a kingdom. Xow, every moment of life is such a dia- 
mond, since every moment can merit heaven for us. 



18 MEDTTATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

The damned would be happy could they recover a 
single one of the moments which they have lost; nay 
more^ they would joyfully endure unheard of torments 
for millions of ages. Let us learn from their sad 
experience how to value and employ the days of grace 
which God gives us^ and which at any moment may 
end by death. 

how blind we are in not profiting by the present, 
which alone is at our disposal ! In the great affair of 
our salvation^ we count upon a future that may never 
be ours. Let us not^ then^ put off till to-morrow what 
we can do to-day ; for to-day goes never to return. Per- 
haps^ too^ for us there will be no morrow. Let us not 
become attached to any thing in a world which w^e are 
so soon to quit; let us set our affections on a world 
whose happiness will never end. Let us bear with 
patience the evils of this life^ for whatever they may 
be^ they cannot last long. A few moments of suffer- 
ing patiently endured will merit an eternal weight of 
glory. 

PEAYEK 



Grants my God^, that impressed with the shortness 
of life, I may always be ready to appear before thee; 
that I may prepare for every confession and com- 
munion as if it were to be my last; that death may 
find me filled with fervor and love for thee. This 
grace I ask of thee, through the merits of Jesus Christ, 
my Savior, and through the intercession of Mary, to 
whom I say with all the affection of my soul : ^^0 holy 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 19 

Mother of God, pray for me now and at the hour of 
my death/^ 

Resume, page 165, 

Life is short : death is approaching, and we are has- 
tening to meet it. 

1. Generations pass away to make room for others. 

2. We are only some moments on this earth, so justly 
called a place of passage. 

3. What do the years we have already lived now 
seem to us? Just as quickly shall those which remain 
to us pass away, even if we yet have years to live. 

4. What do the saints in heaven, or the damned in 
hell, think of the length of life? 

5. how justly does Scripture compare it to a pass- 
ing wave, ... to a flower that blooms but to fade ! 

— But since life is so short: 

1. Let us employ every moment of it well. 

2. Let us consider its end as very near. 

3. Let us always be ready to appear before God. 

4. Let us attach ourselves to nothing on this earth. 

5. Let us suffer with patience all earthly ills, think- 
ing of their short duration and the glory which they 
merit for us. 



FOURTH MEDITATION 
CERTAINTY OF DEATH 

Take order with thy house ; for thou shalt die, and not 
live. — Isai. xxxviii. 1. 

CONSIDEEATION 

All men shall die ; it is a decree passed by Truth 
itself upon Adam and all his posterity. No one shall 
escape this sentence: Dust thou art, and unto dust 
thou shalt return,^ Almost all the truths of religion 
have been attacked by its enemies^, but none of them 
has dared to say: "I shall not die.^^ If^ indeed^ any 
one should have the hardihood to say so^ he would be 
convicted of falsehood by the experience of six thou- 
sand years^ in every country of the globe; he would 
be accounted a fool by every one^ and very far from 
feeling certain of what he said^ he would^ with reason, 
be in dread^ lest death might strike him on the instant, 
and punish him for his rashness. 

Yes, we shall all die, the great and the lowly, the 
rich and the poor. Every one of us, therefore, should 
look upon himself as a criminal condemned to death 
and waiting in prison for the hour of execution. No 
one, up to this day, has been exempt from death, and 

^Gen. iii. 19. 
20 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 21 

no one till the end of time shall escape its summons. 

Samson with his strength, Solomon with his wisdom, 
Alexander with his victories, Caesar with his triumphs, 
and Crassus with his riches, have been forced to yield 
to it : it has respected none ; it will respect none. What 
has become of the multitude of men that have peopled 
the earth since the beginning of time? Their bodies 
are reduced to dust; they are dead. What has become 
of those lovers of the world, those rich and powerful 
men of earth, who seemed to be established here for- 
ever? They are dead. What has become of men in 
lofty stations, of the heroes whose names are handed 
down from generation to generation? History tells 
us, for she always closes the recital of their glorious 
deeds by mentioning the period of their death. 

What has become of those relatives and friends with 
whom we ourselves have lived? They are dead. All 
from their graves cry out and repeat unceasingly: 
^^Yesterday for us, to-morrow for you. Yesterday it 
was our turn ; to-morrow it will be yours. By descend- 
ing to the grave we have shown you the way; you, too, 
will soon point out to others the road which they must 
follow. We are dead, because we were dust and ashes; 
you shall die, because you also are dust and ashes. We 
have undergone the sentence passed upon guilty man; 
you too will soon experience its effects.^^ Such is the 
language of those whom we survive, and nothing can 
be more certain than the truth which it intimates to 
us. 

All the events of life are uncertain ; but death which 
ends them all, is absolutely certain. I know not whe- 
ther the infant just born will be happy or wretched. 



22 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

wise or ignorant;, of a robust or of a delicate constitu- 
tion; whether he will be cut off in the spring-time of 
life, or will attain to an advanced old age; but what I 
do know beyond dispute and can certify to without dan- 
ger of error is — that he will die. A person may es- 
cape once or often from disease ; he may be saved from 
fire or water, from a bloody battle-field or from immi- 
nent peril; but escape being the victim of death, he 
cannot; the sentence is passed: All men must die. 

Yes, we must die ; the sentence passed on guilty man 
must be executed upon us all. This body of which we 
are so careful will be reduced to dust; these eyes, so 
quick at discerning form and color, shall see no more; 
these ears, so delicately formed, shall hear no more; 
these hands, so pliant, shall work no more; these feet, 
so active, will never more transport us from place to 
place. Yes, the day will come when our body, stretched 
upon the bed of death, will become to all an object 
of horror and danger; they will make haste to bury it 
deep in the earth. Some, it is true, will assist at our 
funeral; but after having sprinkled some drops of holy 
water upon the grave, they will go away, every one to 
his own business. If some one shall ask them the 
news, they will answer : ^^He is dead V^ Perhaps all 
will end there; the most absolute silence may be main- 
tained regarding us, and in a little while no one will 
know that we have ever existed. 

I die daily, ^ says the Apostle of the Gentiles; let us 
repeat the same words. What is life but the introduc- 
tion to death? Every day we are dying until the day 
of our death, when we cease to die. We feel that we 

^1 Cor. XV. 31. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 23 

are advancing to our inevitable doom; that we are 
approaching with ever increasing swiftness the abyss 
of death. Every day brings its nearer and nearer to 
its yawning depths. 

Nothings indeed^ is more certain than death. We 
all know'it^ but perhaps we do not all learn the lessons 
to be drawn from a truth so well established. 

APPLICATION 

We must die. We should^ then^ be resigned to 
death from motives of faith; we should accept it with 
a view to satisfy for our sins. We should accept it at 
the hour^ and under the circumstances ordained by 
God^ placing ourselves absolutely in the arms of his 
Providence. 

We must die ; consequently we are not made for this 
worlds which we must soon quit. What folly then to 
be attached to it^ to seek repose in it^ to give ourselves 
up to its joys^ to become enamored of creatures from 
which death must separate us, to take excessive care of 
our body which is soon to become the food of worms, at 
the same time to be little solicitous as to what will 
befall us in the life to come! 

We must die; let us then be prepared. Nothing is 
of more importance to us. The saints understand 
this, and consequently they gave themselves far less 
concern about prolonging their life than preparing seri- 
ously for death. Encouraged by their example let us 
keep ourselves in the state of grace, that when God 
calls us to himself we may be pleasing in his sight. 

We must die; let us, therefore, often reflect on this 



24 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

truth^ and above all^, in times of temptation; for then 
the thought of death is extremely profitable to us. 

A holy religious was once asked : '^'^Why have you 
such contempt for the worlds its customs and vanities? 
Why are you so careful to shun its praises and honors ? 
Why do you treat your body with such severity ?" And 
to all these questions he answered, "It is because I must 
die; because I wish for one thing only^ to die well/^ 

Let us cultivate the same dispositions. Let us turn 
away mind and heart from the vanities of earth. Let 
us remember that we are destined to possess in another 
life the only true good. Created for immortality^ let 
us disregard what is transitory : let us become attached 
to that only which is permanent;, that is, to God and 
the things of God. 

how we shall rejoice in such conduct on the day 
that will end our career, when the Sover(^igK Master, 
whom we have faithfully served, will call ti^ to share 
in his endless felicity ! 

PEAYEE 

Since thou hast decreed it, my God, I must die. 
The sentence pronounced by thy justice must be exe- 
cuted upon me, and I submit to it with all my heart, 
in order to satisfy for my sins. But I beseech thee, 
my God, make this act of resignation profitable to me, 
and grant that I may be a victim truly worthy of being 
offered to thee. 

Help me, Lord, to recall frequently the thought 
that I am always nearing the inevitable abyss of death, 
and grant by thy grace that, understanding the noth- 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 25 

ingness of the creatures from which I must separate, 
I may cling to thee alone, who wilt be my possession 
and my happiness for ever. 

Destroy in me every inclination that could with- 
draw me from thee, every inordinate affection for my 
body, which must one day return to dust. Cut, burn, 
destroy this miserable flesh, which has so often been 
an instrument of sin; make me a holocaust for the 
entire accomplishment of thy designs upon me. Happy 
indeed shall I be if the oblation of my life which I 
now make thee, will draw down upon me thy mercy, 
and render thy judgment favorable when I am called 
to appear before thee. Amen. 

Resume, page 165. 

Nothing is more certain than death. 
1. "It is appointed for all men once to die,'^ says 
the Holy Ghost. 

2. Men have denied all truths but this one. 

3. The history of the world proclaims it on every 
page. 

4. The facts of which we are witnesses recall it 
every moment to our minds. 

5. Do we not feel ourselves dying? 

— Yes, we must die. It is necessary, then: 

1. To be resigned to death at the moment and in 
the circumstances that God may decree. 

2. Not to attach ourselves to this perishable life. 

3. To prepare for the hour when it shall end. 

4. To trouble ourselves less about what may prolong 
it than about what may secure a good death. 

5. To understand well that all here below is van- 
ity, that it is folly to attach ourselves to what passes 
away, that those only are wise who ever keep their last 
end in view. 



FIFTH MEDITATION 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF DEATH 

You know not the day nor the hour. — Matt. xxv. 13. 
CONSIDERATION 

Just as the fact of death is certain, so the moment 
and circumstances of death are uncertain. We shall 
all die, nothing is more certain; but as to when we 
shall die, we know nothing. Perhaps it will be to-day. 
Perhaps our present employment is the last, in which 
we shall be engaged and we shall appear before God 
before it is ended. Before another hour shall strike, 
the fate of multitudes will be fixed for eternity; and 
it is possible that we may be of the number. 

Alas ! how many persons have been deceived and 
snatched away from life when they least thought of 
death ! What guarantee have we that such will not be 
our case? Watch, says Jesus Christ; because you Tcnoio 
not the day nor the hour of your death; you know not 
whether it will be at even, or at midnight, or at the 
coch'Crovnng, or in the morning,^ . . . x\nd I say 
to you watch ye, therefore, because ye know not at what 
hour your lord will corned . . . Blessed is that 
servant whom, when his lord shall come, he shall -find so 
doing. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 

^Matt. XXV. 13. 2j^Iark xiii. 35. ^^j^Iatt. xxiv. 42. 
26 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 27 

my lord is long a coming, and shall neglect his duty, 
his lord will surprise him, and bid him be cast into 
outer darkness, tJiere shall he weeping and gnashing 
of teeth,^ 

Let us then strive to understand these teachings of 
our Divine Savior, act conformably to them, and keep 
ourselves always in the state in which we should wish 
him to find us when he calls us to himself. 

Xot only is the hour of death uncertain, its place, 
date, and circumstances are equally uncertain. Where 
shall I die ? Will it be in my bed ? Will it be in the 
fulfillment of my duty? Will it be in the house in 
which I now live, or in another in which I may chance 
to be? Will it be in the city or in the country? In 
truth, I know not. All is uncertain. 

^'^Such a one fell by the sword,^^ says the author of 
the ^^mitation;" ^^another was drowned, another fall- 
ing from on high broke his neck ; this man died at table, 
that other came to his end at play ; some perished by 
fire, some by the sword, some by pestilence, some by the 
hands of robbers.^^^ Death then comes in many forms, 
and no one can know with certainty in what way it 
will come to him. 

I shall die, but under what circumstances? Shall 
I have the use of my reason and my speech, or shall I 
be deprived of them? Shall I receive the aids of holy 
Church, or shall I die without the Sacraments? Shall 
I be in the state of grace, or in the state of sin? I 
know not; therefore am I seized with fear, my God, 
and I beg of thee to grant me thy help, that laboring 
without losing heart in the work of my salvation, I 

^Matt. xxiv. 46, 48, 51. 'Bk. i. Chap, xxiii. 7. 



28 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

may every day prepare for death. This I know is the 
most certain means of being ready to die, however sud- 
den may be the call. 

Blessed then, a thousand times blessed is he who, like 
the wise virgins, keeps his lamp trimmed and burning, 
that is to say, who perseveres in fervor; or who, like 
the faithful servant spoken of in the Gospel, is always 
in readiness to receive his Master, at whatever day and 
hour he may come; for he shall be admitted to the 
eternal banquet. But woe, a thousand times woe, to 
him whom death shall find ill prepared ! Woe to him 
whom it shall surprise in mortal sin! He shall be 
hurled into the abyss of hell forever. how senseless 
we are when we fail to keep ourselves in readiness for 
this terrible passage, which we may be called upon to 
make at any moment, whilst we are promising ourselves 
a long life — we who cannot count with certainty upon 
a day or an hour! 

APPLICATION 

Since the time and the circumstances of our death 
are uncertain, let us not count upon the future. Let 
us profit by the present, which alone is at our disposal, 
and employ it to put and keep ourselves in a state of 
readiness to appear before God. Let us be prepared to 
die at any hour. ^^Let the remembrance of eternity 
never depart from your thoughts,^^ said St. Anthony to 
his disciples. ^^Think each morning that perhaps you 
will not live till the end of the day; think every even- 
ing that perhaps you will never see the morrow. Per- 
form each of your actions as if it were to be the last 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 29 

of your life ; that is to say^ with all the fervor and 
piety of which you are capable/^ how wise is this 
counsel, and with what reason have all masters of the 
spiritual life repeated it^ after the holy patriarch of 
cenobites ! Let us faithfully put it in practice. 

Let us^ as far as possible^ prepare ourselves for that 
last moment which will decide our eternity. Let us 
imitate the apostle St. Paul^ who^ writing to the Corin- 
thians^ made use of the remarkable words^ I die daily!' 
That is to say, every day I study to die well ; every day 
I recall to mind what should be the dispositions of a 
Christian when about to appear before God, and I 
examine whether these dispositions are mine; every 
day I prepare for performing, at the hour appointed 
by Providence, that great work, a good death; a work 
which I can perform but once, and on which my ever- 
lasting happiness or misery depends; every day I pre- 
pare myself for my last hour, for if my death is holy, 
I shall enjoy eternal felicity, while if it is not so, I 
shall be lost forever, although I may have employed 
all my life in teaching virtue to others, and exhorting 
them to live well, that they may die happily. 

If the great apostle thus prepared himself for death, 
if, through fear of becoming a castaway, he chastised 
his body and brought it into subjection; what should 
not we poor sinners do, against whom the devil wages 
such fierce combats, and who are so faint-hearted in 
resisting him? 

Let us establish ourselves in grace. Let us, at every 
cost, avoid offending God; and if we are in the state 
of sin, let us make haste to have recourse to the Sacra- 

^1 Cor. XV. 31. 



30 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ment of Penance. Would we dare sleep on the brink 
of a precipice^ or on a declivity leading to it? Cer- 
tainly not ; and yet we are infinitely more rash if we 
live in enmity with God^ for we then sleep on the brink 
of hell^ into whose bottomless pit death may at any 
moment hurl us. Alas! how many have passed from 
their beds into the depths of this abyss of fire ! Great 
God! what an awakening was theirs^ in the midst of 
these everlasting flames ! 

"I have never remained;, I have never lain down in 
a state in which I should not wish to die/^ said a great 
servant of God. Let us act in the same manner^ and 
death will not surprise us. Let us remember that Jesus 
Christ does not say to us: ^Trepare/^ but. Be you 
also ready^ 

PEAYER 

I know not;, my God, the time of my death; but I 
do know that every instant may be my last. It is 
necessary then that I apply myself to acquire and 
preserve the perfection which thou askest of me, and 
that I persevere, without relapse, in that state in 
which I ought and wish to be found when I shall 
appear before thee. I must, then, always be a good 
religious, a faithful observer of my rules, a watchful 
servant, who will have no cause to fear the sudden 
arrival of his Master. 

This is the end that I propose to myself, and there- 
fore I beg of thee, my God, to grant me the most 
abundant graces, so that serving thee with fervor and 

^Matt. xxiv. 44. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 31 

constancy, I may have the happiness to hear from thee 
that sentence that will begin my eternal felicity : Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant; because thou 
hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee 
over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord^ 

Resume, page 166. 

^Mothing is more certain than death; but nothing is 
more uncertain than the moment and the manner of 
our death. 

1. ^Vhen shall I die? I know not. 

2. Where shall I die? I know not. 

3. Shall I die suddenly or of a lingering illness? I 
know not. 

4. Shall I be conscious before death, or shall I be 
suddenly transported before the tribunal of the Sov- 
ereign Judge ? I know not. 

5. Shall I be in the state of grace, or in the state of 
mortal sin ? Alas ! I still know not. 

— It is necessary, then: 

1. To count neither on a year nor on a day. 

2. To be ready to die at any hour. 

3. To be constantly what I desire to be at death. 

4. N"ever to offend God; and, if I have that misfor- 
tune, not to remain in the state of sin. 

5. To make each confession, each communion^ as if 
it were to be the last. 



^Matt. XXV. 21, 23. 



SIXTH MEDITATION 
THE UNEXPECTEDNESS OF DEATH 

Behold, I come as a thief. — Apoc. xvi. 15. 
CON"SIDEEATION 

To impress us more deeply with the necessity of al- 
ways being ready to appear before him^ our Divine 
Savior does not disdain to compare himself to a thief. 
Blessed is he that watches^, says our Lord;, for^ Be- 
hold, I come as a thief. Now when a thief is about to 
enter^, he does not first apprise the master of the house ; 
on the contrary^ he remains in hidings and chooses the 
nighty and even a dark nighty for action. Thus will 
he do who has recommended to us to be always ready. 
Yes^ death will surprise us as it has surprised most of 
those who have gone before us, and as it every day 
surprises a multitude of people. 

Therefore it is that Jesus Christ exhorts us to vigi- 
lance and to perseverance in virtue. Watch, says our 
good Master, because ye know not the day nor the houi\ 
Be you also ready; for at what hour you thinh not the 
Son of man will come.^ And that none might mistake 
as to whom this recommendation was given, he added, 
turning to his disciples — And what I say to you, I say 
to all: Watch^ 

^Matt. XXV. 13. ^Luke xii. 40. ^Mark xiii. 37. 

33 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 33 

This warning which he here expresses in so direct a 
manner^ he gives also in a number of parables. In 
one place he tells us of the foolish virgins who are con- 
demned for not being ready at the coming of their 
Spouse; in another^ of the rich man whose soul is re- 
quired of him when he is calculating on using his 
riches and enjoying the stores heaped up in his gran- 
aries; elsewhere^ of the unfaithful servant who says to 
himself: My lord is long a coming; and shall begin to 
strike his fellow-servants^ and shall eat and drink tvith 
drunkards: the lord of that servant shall come in a 
day that he expecteth not, and in an hour that he 
knoweth not^ 

Our Divine Lord^ by direct teaching and by para- 
bles, reminds us of the uncertainty of death, and does 
so by recalling the miserable end of those living at the 
time of the deluge who, while thinking only of pro- 
curing pleasure for themselves, were swallowed up in 
the general destruction. 

The Old and the Ifew Testaments unite in establish- 
ing the truth of the unexpectedness of death, and con- 
firm the words of our Divine Master : Behold I come as 
a thief. ^ The teachings of the saints and daily experi- 
ence repeat the same lesson. The day of the Lord shall 
so come, as a thief in the night, says St. Paul.^ ^^Our 
Lord/^ says St. Gregory, "has willed that our last hour 
be hidden from us that we may always be in dread of 
it, and being unable to foresee it, may prepare for it 
without ceasing ;^^ and St. Augustine speaks in a simi- 
lar strain : "God has concealed from us the moment of 

^Matt. xxiv. 48-50. 2^poc. xvi. 15. 

n Thess. v. 2. 



'34 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

our death, that we may every day be prepared for it/^ 
But are not the surprises of death evident to every 
one who wishes to observe what takes place around 
him ? Let us inquire of our own memory. How many 
people of our acquaintance have been suddenly called 
before the tribunal of God ! Some have been struck 
down by death in the midst of festivity, others while 
at work ; one at the very moment when he was felicitat- 
ing himself on the enjoyment of excellent health, an- 
other when he was thinking of building up a fortune; 
one while amusing himself, another while asleep. All 
promised themselves a future which they were never to 
see: they thought that they could count upon their 
youth, their health, or their strength. Alas ! was not 
their assurance groundless ? Death heeded them not, it 
laughed at their folly, and it struck them, as it always 
strikes, pitilessly and unexpectedly. 

Yes, all, the rich and the poor, the great and the 
lowly; those to whom youth and vigorous health seem 
to promise a long life, as well as those whose shattered 
constitutions and advanced age threaten them with ap- 
proaching death, shall be struck down when they least 
expect it. All, then, should watch; all should be 
ready, if they wish to escape being taken by surprise. 
Ye m.en absorbed in the business of the world, who 
think not of death, and are not ready to meet it, you 
will be taken away unexpectedly. Negligent Christians, 
like the foolish virgins, you suffer your lamps to go 
out; you do not think of death, you do not watch; you 
too will be taken away unexpectedly. Careless religious, 
inexact observers of your rules, faithless servants of 
God, whom you have chosen to be your all, you think 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 35 

that the Master will not come so soon ; you do not think 
of death, you are not ready; you also will be taken 
away unexpectedly. You have buried the talent which 
the Lord gave you for procuring his glory and the 
salvation of souls; you do not think of the account 
which you will have to render; the Father of the 
household will come at the moment when you least 
expect it; you will be taken by surprise. 

^^Let us always think of death/^ said a holy religious 
while walking with his brethren; ^^let us think of 
death, for we know not when it shall come/^ and whilst 
pronouncing those words he w^as struck with apoplexy, 
and died on the spot. Oh! let us understand ^^how 
happy and how prudent is he who,^^ in the words of 
the author of the "Imitation,^^ ^'^now striveth to be in 
life what he would fain be found in death.^^^ 

APPLICATION" 

Could we appear with confidence before the tribunal 
of God if death were to strike us at this moment? 
Should we have nothing to atone for, nothing to ex- 
piate ? Should we be ready to give an account of our 
words, our actions, of all our conduct? Where should 
we be if at this moment Jesus Christ should say to us 
as to the unfaithful steward of the Gospel: Give an 
account of thy stewardship f Alas ! what a surprise 
would be ours ! 

And yet, what has happened, what is happening every 
day to a great multitude of people, will one day happen 
to us also. Death will come when we least expect it; 

^Bk. I Chap, xxiii. 4. ^j^uke xvi. 2. 



36 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

our Savior himself assures us of this. Since we began 
to read these lines^ to make these reflections^ many 
souls have been cited before the tribunal of the Sov- 
ereign Judge^ and have had sentence passed upon them. 
We also might have been of that number. 

Alas ! what would be our lot if at this moment we 
were to grow pale^ tremble and expire? We know that 
we may be taken by surprise; we have been assured 
that it shall be so; and yet we are not ready. What 
folly! what madness! Let us not^ then^ persist in a 
rashness that may finally lead to everlasting ruin. 

One day when St. Aloysius was at recreation^ he was 
asked : ^^If an angel were to announce to you that you 
would die immediately after this amusement, what 
would you do T^ ^^I should go on with my recreation/^ 
was the answer. That was because he performed each 
action as if it were to be the last of his life. Do we 
wish to die like the saints? Let us imitate their con- 
duct ; let us keep our conscience free from sin ; let us 
never remain in a state in which we should wish not 
to be found at the hour of death; let us contract the 
holy habit of performing each of our actions as if it 
were to be the last of our life. 

As far as duty or charity prescribes, let us prepare 
our neighbor for the surprises of death. Let us do all 
that depends on us, that the sick may receive the last 
helps of religion in time and with worthy dispositions. 
Finall)^, let us earnestly beg of God for ourselves and 
our neighbor that we may be found watching at the 
hour when he shall call us to himself. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 37 

PRAYER 

my God^ where should I be now, if thou hadst 
called me before thy tribunal on such a day, or at such 
an hour; if thou hadst cited me to appear before thee 
after that sin of which I was guilty, and the remem- 
brance of which is still engraven on my mind? What 
would now be my lot ? 

It is not thus that thou hast acted towards so many 
others who, although less guilty than I have been, have 
not had time to repent and be converted. my God, 
how great is thy mercy to me ! But complete the work 
which thou hast begun in me, and save my soul ! Grant, 
that watching without ceasing over myself, I may be 
prepared for the surprises of death, and may keep 
myself always ready to answer thee, when thou shalt 
call upon me to render an account of my life. 

Resume, page 166. 

A thief gives no warning. He comes upon you un- 
awares, he surprises you ; so it is with death. 

1. The wise A^irgins and the foolish Virgins were 
sleeping, when suddenly they heard the cry: "Behold, 
the Spouse cometh. Arise, and go to meet him !" 

2. A rich man had laid up an abundant harvest, and 
thought only of enjoying it. "Thou fool/^ he was told, 
^^this night thy soul shall be required of thee V' 

3. Men, in the days of Noe, thought of naught 
but pleasure, and they were suddenly overwhelmed by 
the deluge. 

4. How many times have we not heard of sudden 
deaths, of unprovided deaths ! 

5. How many sick persons who almost in their last 
agony deceive themselves as to their state ! Will it not 
be so with us? 

— It is necessary, then: 



38 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

1. So to live as not to be surprised by death. 

2. To be always ready to render our account. 

3. Never to remain in the state of sin. 

4. To make often the exercise of preparation for 
death. 

5. To do all that depends on us, in order that our 
sick may receive the last helps of religion in time. 



SEVENTH MEDITATION 

AS OUR LIFE IS, SO SHALL OUR DEATH BE 

For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. 
—Gal. vi. a 

CONSIDEEATION 

As we have lived, so shall we die. This is the gen- 
eral rule which we should frequently recall to mind, 
that it may induce us to live well, and thereby obtain 
the grace of dying well. It has some exceptions, it is 
true, but so far are they from destroying it, that they 
serve rather to strengthen it : for they are in reality 
only miracles of grace, which no one has a right to 
expect, and which he cannot count upon without fool- 
ish rashness and guilty presumption. 

As we have lived, so shall we die. This is a law 
which is verified in the generality of men, and which, 
unless the Lord work a miracle, will be verified in each 
one of us. Such as we have been during life, such have 
we reason to think we shall be at the hour of death. 
Holy Scripture and reason unite in establishing this 
truth. 

Antiochus, after having led a wicked life, is struck 
by the hand of God. At the sight of his misfortunes, 
he re-enters into himself, and prays to the Lord: but 
it is said in the Book of Maccabees: He was not to 

39 



40 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

obtain mercy ^ Be not deceived, says St. Paul to the 
Galatians^ God is not mocJced. Foi^ ivliat things a 
man shall sow, those also shall he reap, . . . And 
in doing good, let us not fail; for in due time we 
shall reap, not failing.^ Now who can be assured of 
gatherings at the moment of death, the fruits of salva- 
tion but he who shall really have practised justice dur- 
ing life? 

But let us listen to our Divine Master teaching us 
the same truth: A good tree cannot yield had fruit, 
neither can a had tree yield good fruits Now is not 
death, in very truth, the fruit of life? A bad life, 
then, cannot produce a good death. 

To be certain of a good death we must during life 
apply ourselves to the faithful observance of the law 
of God. This is the only means taught us by our 
Lord. Not every one that saith to me. Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: hut he that 
doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven, he shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to 
me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils and done 
many wonderful works in thy name? And then will 
I profess unto them; I never knew you: depart from 
me, you that work iniquity,*' 

He that shall persevere unto the end, in the prac- 
tice of virtue, he shall he saved^ Nothing is then bet- 
ter established than this truth, that it is only by a 
holy life we can secure a good death; and even had 
Holy Scripture not been so explicit on this point, 

^2 Mach. ix. 13. *Gal. vi. 7-9. ^Matt. vii. 18. 
*Matt. vii. 21-23. ^Matt. x. 22. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 41 

reason itself would suffice to convince us of it. And^ 
indeed, does it seem probable that he who was remiss 
and unfaithful in the service of God, who did not cease, 
if we may say so, to abuse grace, who had indulged in 
everything craved by his senses and passions, should 
be treated at the moment of death like him who had 
been pious, fervent and faithful in the discharge of his 
duties? like him who not only had ahstained from 
what was forbidden, but had condemned himself to the 
most rigid penance? Evidently not. We can then 
easily understand how at the hour of death men should 
find themselves in dispositions corresponding to their 
conduct during life. 

We must then conclude that every one determines 
on earth his own lot for eternity; that every one pre- 
pares a good or bad death for Ijimself, according as 
he leads a good or a bad life. 

We hear St. Augustine express the same truth when 
he says that death is the echo of life. If then. Life 
has said: "Piety, fervor, holiness;'^ Death will repeat: 
"Piety, fervor, holiness.^^ But if Life has said : "Ee- 
missness, negligence, abuse of grace ;'^ Death will re- 
peat: "Eemissness, negligence, abuse of grace.^' 

No one, so long as he is upon this earth, can be 
assured of his salvation, for perseverance alone can 
win the crown; but since a holy life is the best prep- 
aration for death, it is true that the just man has 
the strongest grounds for hoping that he will be in 
friendship with God in his last moments; while the 
sinner, without a miracle of grace, can reasonably 
have no such hope. 



42 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

APPLICATION 

Let us lead a holy life : let us begin this very mo- 
ment. ' Let us not put it off until we are seriously 
unwell. how foolish that would be ! What ! in those 
moments of suffering when one is incapable of thinking 
of the most ordinary matters^ do we suppose that we 
shall be able to repair the evils of a life steeped in sin, 
accomplish a work requiring the greatest care, and 
have more courage to conquer self than we had in 
health! Would it not show want of wisdom and 
prudence to count upon it? How could we prepare 
for death, how receive the Sacraments with fruit, when 
we scarcely know what we are doing, when we have 
hardly consciousness enough left to recognize friend 
or relative? How lay open a conscience filled with in- 
iquity, when all the faculties of the soul are impaired 
by suffering and sickness, and racked by the terrors of 
those last moments ? How can we suddenly detest sin, 
when we have perhaps loved it all our lives? Let us 
not deceive ourselves. Let us not forget the general 
rule, that we shall die as we have lived. Would we 
wish our death to be such as our life has been up to 
this moment? Would we wish to die in the state in 
which we now are ? If it be so, let us bless Providence ; 
if it be otherwise, let us immediately reform our con- 
duct. 

To work then, and from this very day. If we have 
lost sanctifying grace, let us regain it, and let us hence- 
forth carefully guard that treasure. Let us make haste 
to put our affairs in order, to remedy the evil that we 
find in ourselves, to purify our conscience of all that 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 43 

might defile us. Let us confess and expiate all the 
faults which might give us reason to fear that, should 
God call us suddenly to his tribunal, we might be con- 
demned to eternal misery. 

Let us act wisely : let us not build upon the vain hope 
that God may possibly work a miracle in our behalf 
by granting us the grace of a happy death, after we 
have lived a questionable, undisciplined, or even a 
wicked life. Let us faithfully discharge the duties of 
our holy state; let us keep our rules, and by constant 
effort to near perfection, prepare for a good death and 
assure our salvation. 

PRAYER 

Thou art full of goodness, my sweet Jesus, and I 
place in thee all my confidence. Yes, I hope to die a 
good death, to be in a state of grace when thou wilt 
call me before thy tribunal. But that my confidence 
may not be guilty presumption, I must endeavor to 
live virtuously; I must constantly apply myself to do 
the wdll of thy Father who is in heaven. 

I beseech thee, my adorable Savior, deign to grant 
me the grace that, by living a holy life, I may obtain 
favorable recognition from thy mercy when my last 
hour shall come. This I beg of thee, my Jesus, 
through the intercession of Mary, thy most holy Mo- 
ther, the Queen of the predestined. 

Resume, page 167. 

Death is the echo of life. 

1. This the Holy Spirit teaches by St. Paul. 



44 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

2. It is the general law. No one ought to count on 
an exception in his favor. 

3. The fruit is in accordance with the nature of the 
tree: now, life is the tree, and death is its fruit. 

4. Life is the time to sow, death the moment of 
reaping; but we reap what we have sowed. 

5. Our death shall be good if our life has been good. 
It shall be bad if our life has been bad. 

— Thoroughly convinced of this truth: 

1. Let us assure ourselves of a holy death by a holy 
life. 

2. Let us enter upon the right way, and never de- 
part from it. 

3. Let us henceforth reform all that is defective in 
us. 

4. Let us lead the life prescribed by our Eules, and 
then we shall have nothing to dread from death. 

5. Let us never cease to ask God the grace to ac- 
complish his will during life, in order to obtain mercy 
at death. 



EIGHTH MEDITATION 
MOTIVES TO PREPARE FOR DEATH 



If the tree fall to the south or to the north, . . . there 
shall it be. — Eccles. xi. 3. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Nothing is of so much importance as to prepare for 
death. Jesus Christ has said: ^yatch ye, therefore; 
because ye hnow not the day, nor the hour,^ The Mas- 
ter, then, will come at the hour when the servant does 
not expect him. But why these urgent and oft re- 
peated recommendations unless the question be of su- 
preme importance to man? Let us then understand 
it as the saints understood it; and like them let us 
think all through life of the moment that is to be our 
last. And in truth what an awful moment it is ! 

The soul on leaving the body appears in the pres- 
ence of God to be judged according to its works, and 
in the same instant hears the sentence that decides its 
lot for eternity. Is the soul in the state of grace? 
Then a crown of glory is promised it, though perhaps 
it may have to pass first through the purifying flames 
of purgatory. But if the soul be in the state of mortal 
sin, even though stained by only one such sin, then it 

^Matt. XXV. 13, 

45 



46 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

must enter upon an eternity of unutterable suffering 
in hell. 

YeS;, a saint in heaven can always say : "Because 
death found me in God^s friendship, I possess him now, 
and I shall forever enjoy his presence and his love, 
and share in his glory and happiness/' The soul that 
is damned shall through all eternity be forced to cry 
out : "Because death surprised me when at enmity 
with God, I now endure, without hope of relief, the 
most frightful suffering and the most intolerable an- 
guish; I am devoured by a fire that shall never be 
extinguished/^ 

The state in which we shall be at the hour of death 
is that in which we shall remain forever; and if, 
through the greatest of all misfortunes, we shall then 
be in the state of mortal sin, all, absolutely all, is lost 
to us for eternity. We shall no longer have the blood 
of a God to wash away our sins, or a Sacrament of 
Penance wherein to obtain forgiveness. Our frightful 
condition will be without relief; our evil without rem- 
edy. There is no pardon, no compassion, no merciful 
Savior for him who dies in mortal sin. Xo conver- 
sion is possible, no meritorious works can be per- 
formed, no heaven can be hoped for. For him there 
is no redemption, no Mother of Mercy, no guardian 
angel, no intercessor, no hope; nothing remains but 
unutterable torments in the unquenchable flames of 
hell. 

Consequently it is of the utmost importance that 
we prepare for the moment that will decide our lot 
forever ; that we arrange everything carefully and with- 
out delay for that awful journey that we may be called 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 47 

upon to begin at any moment. Alas ! men prepare for 
everything in this world except death, and yet for that 
no preparation could be too great. In business af- 
fairs they wish eYer}i:hing to be done with order and at 
the prescribed moment; but as to the matter of salva- 
tion they give themselves almost no concern: there, 
everything is left in disorder and in the most deplora- 
ble uncertainty. . 

Whoever wishes to acquire celebrity by the produc- 
tion of some master-piece begins his preparation long 
beforehand; he seeks counsel, he copies the best mod- 
els, and devotes to the subject all the care possible. 
Why, then, do not all men act in the same way in 
what regards their salvation? Every one on earth has 
a master-piece to produce, one that will bring him 
glory for time and eternity ; that master-piece is a good 
death. He should, then, interest himself in this, seek 
counsel, choose his models and copy them exactly, for 
these models are the saints, and above all, Jesus our 
Divine Master. Do not all the motives that should 
influence him as a rational being induce him to bestow 
every care upon this work and to labor for it with all 
possible diligence? 

The scholar, the sculptor, or the painter, may try 
again if he has not been successful in his first attempt. 
At all events he risks only a fortune more or less con- 
siderable, and a reputation, which being only temporal, 
can be of no very great value. But it is not so with the 
master-piece of a good death : here only one attempt can 
be made ; if this fails, no reparation is possible ; infinite 
happiness has been lost forever; nay, has been ex- 
changed for misery equal in extent and duration. 



48 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

And now let us ask ourselves^ who are they who are 
liable to fail of producing the masterpiece of a good 
death because of being in the state of mortal sin when 
cited before the tribunal of God? Both faith and 
common sense assure us that they are such as live in 
a state in which they would not wish to be found at 
the hour of death. And, alas ! how many such are there 
not among Christians? They manifestly expose them- 
selves to the danger of an unhappy death, who, having 
contracted evil habits, live from day to day in mortal 
sin; who remain in a state of tepidity that justly oc- 
casions them remorse; who, like the barren fig tree, 
bring forth no fruits of sanctification, though planted 
in good soil and frequently watered by the dew of 
grace. 

APPLICATION 

Let us not be of the number of those who foolishly 
expose themselves to the danger of a bad death. Let 
us act very differently from them; let us live as we 
should wish to die. Let us avoid sin. If perchance 
we have committed it, let us seek forgiveness by a good 
confession, and do penance. When our last moment 
has come, shall we not then wish to have avoided sin 
or to have done penance for it? Why are we not now 
in these salutary dispositions? 

I die daily ^ said St. Paul; that is to say, each day 
I labor to destroy some remains of the old man within 
me; each day I add some meritorious works to those 
which I have already performed, that I may be ready 

^1 Cor. XV. 31. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 4:9 

when the Lord shall announce that my last hour of 
time has ended^ and m}^ eternity is about to begin. 

Like the great Apostle^ let us die daily by thinking 
frequently of deaths by detaching our affections from 
creatures^ and renouncing our own inclinations. When 
death comes we shall wdsh to have made a holocaust 
of our body: why then not now condemn it to those 
mortifications at least which are suitable to our state 
of life ? We shall wish^ at the hour of death, to receive 
the powerful aid of the most Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, 
and our Patron Saints; let us now devote ourselves to 
their honor, begging their assistance for that hour 
when God shall call us to himself. 

In a word, why not do now what we shall then wish 
to have done? Well was this truth understood by that 
nobleman, richer far in virtue than in worldly wealth, 
who caused the coffin in which he was to be laid after 
his death to be placed in his chamber, and there lay 
in it every day. There he meditated upon his last end 
and asked himself what he should wish to have done 
when called to appear before God; and in this way he 
received from death those salutary instructions of 
which he believed he stood in need. Thus he merited 
to pass happily from this world to the next. 

PEAYEE 

I shall die, my God; thou hast pronounced the 
sentence. But I shall die only once, and my eternity 
depends upon the state in which I shall be found at 
that last moment. How frightful, Lord, is this 
thought, especially to a sinner such as I ! Alas ! what 



50 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

have I done up to this moment to make thy judgment 
favorable? What good works have I performed? What 
have I suffered for thee? What mortifications have I 
imposed on myself to make thee forget the sins of 
my life? I see nothing in me but malice and sin. 
Nevertheless I hope in thy mercy^ my God, and be- 
seech thee through the intercession of the most Blessed 
Virgin and St. Joseph to blot out my sins, and grant 
me the grace of dying in thy love. 

Resum§, page 167. 

Nothing is more important than to prepare for death : 

1. Has not Jesus Christ said: ^^Be ye ready ?'^ 

2. All the saints prepared during life for the moment 
in which it was to end. 

3. We die but once. To die a bad death would be 
an absolutely irreparable evil. 

4. The consequences of death are everlasting. 

5. A good death opens and secures heaven; a bad 
death casts the sinner into hell. 

Let us, then, take all possible precautions to die a 
good death. 

— For that end: 

1. Let us fly from sin; let us never commit it. 

2. Let us think often of death. 

3. Let us have a great devotion to the Blessed Vir- 
gin and Saint Joseph, the patrons of a good death. 

4. At least once a month let us make a special exer- 
cise of preparation for death. 

5. Let us never forget that the best preparation for 
death is a holy life. 



NINTH MEDITATION 
THE PEACE OF THE JUST WHEN DYING 

The souls of the just . . . are in peace. — Wis., iii. 1-3. 
CONSIDEEATION 

The Holy Ghost assures us that death is a gain to 
the true servants of God^ and that they have nothing 
to fear from it under whatever shape it may present it- 
self. How many times has not this saying been veri- 
fied ! How many people of every condition of life have 
with resignation, tranquillity, and even joy beheld the 
approach of their last hour! 

Had they not every motive for this? They reposed 
confidently, and not without reason, on the divine 
mercy; grace filled their hearts, and poured into their 
souls its sweet and consoling unction ; religion lent them 
its helps, which a life of piety tended to make effica- 
cious. Eternity, it is true, met their gaze, but they 
saw nothing there but what they loved and eagerly de- 
sired; they knew that they were going to appear not 
so much before a judge as before a good and generous 
Master, who called them to him to give them the prom- 
ised recompense; before the tenderest of fathers, the 
most devoted and generous of friends, who wished to 
make them sharers of his infinite happiness. 

51 



52 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

What a beautiful sight is that of a good religious 
about to finish his virtuous career ! He doubtless sees 
in himself a number of weaknesses^ of faults more or 
less voluntary; but he knows that these weaknesses 
and faults have been effaced by a sincere avowal of them 
to his confessor^ and atoned for by a life of penance and 
of the strictest fidelity to the duties of his holy state. 

He is tranquil, and on his countenance is the im- 
press of that sweetness, that serenity which foretells 
the unalterable peace that he will soon enjoy in heaven. 
No bitter sigh escapes his lips; his words, though ut- 
tered with pain, express only confidence in God and 
submission to his holy will ; his eyes, though almost 
closed, beam with innocence and Christian hope. 

On the point of crossing the threshold that separates 
him from eternity, the good religious looks back with- 
out pain upon the past; he thinks of his struggles and 
combats; he counts his victories, not to nourish self- 
conceit or presumption, but rather to bless the Author 
of every perfect gift, and encourage himself to surren- 
der his soul with confidence in the hands of his Cre- 
ator. 

He then realizes, as the pious author of the "Imita- 
tion'^^ expresses it, that the purity of a good conscience 
gives more joy than the most enlightened philosophy; 
that the consolation of one devout prayer is better than 
the most sumptuous banquets; that good works are 
better than fine words; that an austere and penitent 
life offers more pleasure than all the enjoyments of 
the world. 

The sight of the minister of God who brings him 

^Bk. I. Chap. xxiv. 6. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 53 

the last Sacraments of the Church, far from troubling 
him, fills him with joy; the announcement that he 
must soon enter another life, finds and leaves him in 
the greatest calm; for he has already asked those who 
attend him to apprise him early of the approaching 
dissolution of his body and the speedy deliverance of 
his soul. 

He cries out with the holy Tobias: Lord, com- 
mand my spirit to be received in peace; for it is better 
for me to die than to liveT or with St. Teresa, '^^O 
my Lord, behold at last that hour for which I have 
so ardently longed! I now approach the moment of 
my deliverance. May thy will be done.^^ 

In these pious dispositions he prepares to receive for 
the last time on earth him who is so soon to be his 
eternal recompense. with what ardor does he say, 
like the beloved disciple: Come, Lord JesusI^ 

Faith, which served him as a beacon in his voyage 
across the sea of this world becomes brighter at this 
moment when illusions of life disperse like the last 
shadows of night before the first beams of the morning 
sun: already the brightness of heaven^ dimly seen 
through the cloud of death, arrests his gaze. Then it 
is that he esteems himself blessed in having renounced 
the miserable enjoyments of earth, its vain and deceit^ 
ful honors, after which most men run with so much 
eagerness, and in having abandoned its possessions 
which all must sooner or later forsake, and which fre- 
quently lead to injustice and anxiety during life, but 
to still greater solicitude on the bed of death. He 
esteems himself blessed in despising the things that 

Uob iii. 6. ^Apoc. xxii. 20. 



54 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

pass away^ and setting his heart on such as will never 
fail. 

could this worthy member of our Institute make 
known to us his sentiments at this last moment^ what 
would he say to us of the state to which the Lord has 
called us, of the holy rules with which the good God 
inspired our holy Founder, and whose constant 
and exact observance is about to put him in possession 
of a happiness boundless in extent and duration ! How 
eloquently he would speak to us of our mission among 
children ! Perhaps some of his pupils, whom he trained 
to virtue, may have gone before him into the heavenly 
Jerusalem. Assuredly their souls will now come to 
meet and receive his, just as captives on being restored 
to liberty go forth with their families to meet their 
deliverer on his return to his country. 

The good religious cherishes hope, and great hope, 
at the hour of death. He expects with confidence the 
wages promised by the Master of the house to his faith- 
ful laborers, and the crown of glory reserved for him 
who shall have fought bravely and victoriously against 
the enemies of salvation. With the holy King David 
he says from the bottom of his heart : The Lord is my 
light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?'' or with 
Blessed Bernard of Corleon: ^^Let us go, my soul, let 
us go from this life of misery to an eternity of happi- 
ness; let us go from suffering to joy, from the false- 
hoods of the world to the contemplation of eternal 
Truth.'' 

*Ps. xxvi. 1. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 55 

APPLICATION 

We feel a holy envy of the faithful religious who 
enjoys such peace of mind at his last hour^ and with 
our whole heart we desire the same advantage for our- 
selves. We too may obtain it by the grace of God, as 
did those among our Brothers who looked with joy 
upon the approach of death. 

Like them, let us be faithful servants of God, devot- 
ing ourselves to our labor for love of him, keeping our 
conscience free from deliberate fault and doing pen- 
ance for the sins which we may have committed ; strict- 
ly observing our rules and detaching ourselves now from 
all that we must abandon at the hour of death. Like 
them, let us excite in our hearts the most entire confi- 
dence in God, founding it on the merits of Jesus Christ 
and the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin and 
Saint Joseph. In this way we shall prepare for a happy 
death, and to us will one day be applied the words of 
Holy Writ : Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord} 

St. Thomas of Aquin enjoyed on his death-bed the 
most profound peace. He was often heard to repeat: 
^^Soon, yes, soon will the God of all consolation crown 
his mercies and satisfy all my desires; soon shall I be 
satiated in him, and drink of the torrent of his de- 
lights! Why do you weep?'^ said he to those about 
his bed ; ^^death is a gain to me, and I look upon it with 
joy.'^ Let us reflect that such will be our sentiments if 
we live a life of strict regularity. 

^Apoc. xiv. 13. 



66 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PEAYER 

Jesus, my Savior, who didst choose to die in the 
most cruel anguish to merit for me the grace of breath- 
ing my last with the calm of an infant sinking into a 
gentle sleep, grant that I may so love and serve thee 
that the peace of the just may be my portion in my 
last moments. I beseech thee, grant me the infinitely 
precious grace of dying in thy holy love, repeating the 
consoling words : ^^ Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you 
my heart, my soul and my life/^ 

Resume, page 168. 

The just, when dying, enjoy peace. 

1. They indeed remember their faults; but they 
know that they have confessed them, and they count 
with reason on the divine mercy. 

2. Grace abounds in their hearts, and fills them with 
a sweet and consoling unction. 

3. Eeligion lavishes upon them all its aids, which 
have their full efficacy for them. 

4. Eternity presents itself to view, but they see there 
only what they love, what they desire. 

5. They are laborers called to receive pay for their 
day^s work; they are children going to their father. 

— Do we wish that it may be so with us? 

1. Let us serve God like faithful children. 

2. Let us keep our conscience free from every fault. 

3. Let us fulfil well all our duties as religious. 

4. Let us do penance for our sins. 

5. Let us excite in our hearts the most entire confi- 
dence in God, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ 
and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and Saint 
Joseph. 



TENTH MEDITATION 

TROUBLE OF THE LUKEWARM SOUL AT THE 
HOUR OP DEATH 

For what shall I do when God shall rise to judge? and 

when he shall examine, what shall I answer him? — 

Job xxxi. 14. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Many saints have trembled at the thought of death. 
St. Paul was afraid of becoming a castaway, even after 
having preached to others; St. Jerome did not venture 
to go out of his grotto, always imagining that he was 
about to be called to judgment ; St. Hilarion was obliged 
to excite his soul to confidence by recalling to mind the 
actions of his holy life. I^ow, if such were the senti- 
ments of these privileged souls, these great servants of 
God, how great must be the anguish of a religious who 
has led a tepid and remiss life, when he finds himself 
upon the brink of eternity ! 

Let us read in his countenance what is passing in 
the depths of his soul. What is the meaning of those 
restless eyes, of that disquietude that nothing can com- 
pose, of that agitation that seizes him whenever he is 
spoken to about death, or is advised to receive the last 
sacraments? All this tells us that not only does he 
not experience the sweet confidence that brings such 
consolation to the just man on bis death-bed, but that, 

57 



58 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

on the contrary, he is a prey to frightful terrors and 
insupportable agony of soul. 

Up to this time the unfortunate man has taken pleas- 
ure in deceiving himself as to the discharge of his 
duties; he has perhaps treated them all as trifles or 
mere minutiae. But now when the truths which he has 
never before dared to face are exposed to view, he 
seems to hear the God whom he has so little loved and 
served, saying to him : Give an account of thy steward^ 
ship.^ 

Jesus Christ, his adorable Savior, whose merits and 
example he has despised, is now to be his judge. 
Heaven, which he has made no efforts to conquer, seems 
closed against him; and hell, which he has never earn- 
estly labored to escape, seems yawning to receive him 
into its abyss. He is about to present himself before 
his Judge ; but what plea can he offer to secure a favor- 
able sentence ? Alas ! all his conduct has been but a 
series of negligences and imperfections, perhaps even 
of sins. Great God, what a state! How surrounded 
with terror! 

Meanwhile, those who are present strive to reanimate 
his courage, excite his confidence, and induce him to 
prepare for death. ^^ What V^ he answers ; ^Vhat do you 
speak of ? Death ! Is it coming so soon ? Ah ?^ he 
says to himself, ^^how can I accept it with resignation, 
when I have so much reason to fear it? I promised 
myself a long life, and because of this deceiving hope 
I did not attempt to reform my conduct! And now, 
now they tell me that death is at hand, and that I 
must soon appear before thee, my God, whom I have 

^Luke xvi. 2. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 59 

SO badly served, and so many times offended! How 
wilt thou receive me at thy tribunal? 

^"^Wretch that I am, I have had so long and favor- 
able an opportunity to put my conscience in order, and 
I have neglected to do so. I have so often felt thy 
inspiration, and yet I always rejected it; I have suf- 
fered myself to be deterred by the pretended difficulty 
of becoming more fervent and more regular; I have 
refused to give myself a little trouble to imitate the 
examples of virtue set me by those with whom I lived. 
how foolish I have been ! Why did I not put in prac- 
tice the good resolutions w^hich I had formed? Why 
did I not continue to live as I began when I gave my- 
self up to God's service? What would now be my joy, 
my tranquillity, and my confidence! But no; I have 
neglected everything. I have lived in guilty indolence, 
in culpable lukewarmness. my God, how deplorable 
is my condition ! What mercy can I expect ! 

^^Easy life !" he exclaims, in accents of profound an- 
guish; "sensual, unmortified life which I have led at 
the expense of my duty! What grief and tears dost 
thou cost me! How different dost thou appear to me 
in the light of death from what thou didst seem when 
go seducing heretofore ! Alas ! while thousands of 
others have sanctified themselves by the same rule, do- 
ing outwardly the same duties as myself, I by my sloth 
and tepidity am perhaps lost forever V^ 

Meanwhile, his illness increases, and the time is at 
hand for administering the last Sacraments. Then his 
trouble of mind is aggravated, the remorse of his con- 
science horribly agitates him, and indeed it may be but 
too well founded; for whilst he thinks himself only in 



60 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the state of lukewarmness, he may really be in that of 
mortal sin. A multitude of sins crowds upon his mem- 
ory; fear and the cunning of the devil so magnify 
them that what he once regarded as imperfections seem 
now to be great crimes. His conscience is a chaos 
which his mind cannot reduce to order^ and which he 
has not the courage to look upon. 

His last hour is now at hand. Christ^s minister 
enters and wishes him peace. But^ alas! his soul xe- 
mains troubled, restless, and without consolation. 
how dearly he pays now for that false peace which he 
wished to enjoy during life ! ^^Alas V^ he says to him- 
self, ^'^if the just man is scarcely saved, what will be- 
come of me, a barren tree, an unfertile soil, that have 
brought forth no fruits of virtue ?^^ 

God grant that he find in the helps of holy religion 
true peace of heart, and some of that consolation and 
that confidence which the fervent religious enjoys in 
his last hour, and which he also would experience had 
he passed his life in the exact observance of his holy 
rules ! 

APPLICATION 

Since a lukewarm life leads to such bitterness and 
to consequences which may be fatal, let us carefully 
shun it. Let us watch over ourselves and diligently 
avoid every fault and imperfection. Let us discharge 
exactly all the duties of our calling, and correspond 
faithfully to grace. Let us always prepare worthily 
for the Sacraments, taking care to leave no unsolved 
doubts lurking in our conscience. Let us not wait 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 61 

till God questions us; let us question ourselves. ^^If 
thou hadst a pure conscience/^ says the author of the 
^'Imitation/^ "thou wouldst not much fear death: it 
were better to shun sin than to fly death/^^ 

Let us not deceive ourselves; we shall have nothing 
at death but the actions that we have performed dur- 
ing life: and if now we are so blind as to neglect our 
duty, let us expect to experience then the most cruel 
anxiety. Those negligences that we call trifles when 
lukewarmness gets the mastery of our souls, those 
graces which we are continually abusing without con- 
sidering their value, will rise up against us in our last 
hour and chill our hearts with terror. Let us have a 
care not to wait to put our accounts in order until 
the moment when we shall be cited before the tribunal 
of the Sovereign Judge: for then it will be too late! 

"Oh/^ said a lukewarm religious at the hour of death, 
"I seem to see a mountain of faults rolled up against 
me, and about to crush me with their weight : a thou- 
sand mouths open to reproach me with my abuse of 
so many graces and so many means of salvation. The 
voice of Jesus sounds in my ears, and tells me that he 
is about to cast me from his presence. Ah ! wretch 
that I am ! I could so easily have prepared myself 
for the hour of death, and yet I have only brought upon 
myself anguish, bitterness, and an apprehension that 
is but too well founded. Oh ! you who are witnesses of 
my misery, do not imitate the folly of my conduct; 
make sure of your salvation while it is yet in j^our 
power, and beware of putting off this affair till the 
hour of death.'' 

^Bk. I. Chap, xxiii. 1. 



62 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PEAYER 

my God^ were I to look only at my past life^ I 
might have reason to tremble for my tepidity and re- 
missness in serving thee; but I know that thou dost 
threaten me only with a view to save me^ and therefore^ 
placing all my confidence in thee, I promise thee to 
amend my life. 

my God, I will henceforth serve thee with all the 
ardor and zeal of w^hich I am capable, because I wish, 
at every cost, to procure a favorable sentence and to 
merit a place in heaven among thy faithful servants. 

Resume, page 168. 

At the moment of death, the tepid soul must neces- 
sarily be troubled at the remembrance: 

1. Of the many faults which it has committed. 

2. Of the good w^orks which it has neglected. 

3. Of the little fruit w^hich it has drawn from the 
sacraments. 

4. Of the abuse of grace of w^hich it has been guilty. 

5. Of the doubt which it may have regarding its 
state. 

— Do we wish to be in peace in our last moments? 
Let us live fervently: 

1. Let us watch over ourselves and avoid even faults 
of frailty. 

2. Let us fulfil our duties exactly, and above all, 
acquit ourselves well of our exercises of piety. 

3. Let us prepare worthily for the reception of the 
sacraments. 

4. Let us always correspond with God's graces. 

5. Let us allow nothing doubtful to worry our con- 
science. Let us not w^ait till God interrogates us: let 
us interrogate ourselves. 



ELEVENTH MEDITATION 

THE FERVENT AND THE LUKEWARM RE- 
LIGIOUS AT THE HOUR OP DEATH 

For the just to be in like case as the wicked, this is not 

beseeming thee ; thou who judgest all the earth wilt 

not make this judgment. — Gen. xviii. 25. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us consider how the fervent and the luke- 
warm religious differ in their dispositions at the ap- 
proach of death. The fervent Christian is ready for 
his voyage to eternity; he has had it almost continu- 
ally in his thoughts^, and has prepared everything 
suited to render it both agreeable and consoling to 
him. The lukewarm Christian has given but little 
thought to it, having alw^ays diverted his attention 
from it and put off from day to day the adoption of 
the only means to a good death — the leading of a good 
life. 

The fervent Christian is not troubled when told that 
death is at hand, for he looks upon death as the close 
of his exile and the gate of entrance into the Promised 
Land. The lukewarm Christian is terrified w^hen told 
that his life is in danger; he has lived as if he were 
always to remain on earth, and is troubled only at the 
thought of leaving it. 

63 



64 MEDITATilONS ON OUR LAST END 

The fervent Christian does not wait until he is ad- 
vised to ask for the last aids of religion; his holy and 
frequent use throughout life of both confession and 
comniTinion, and the great fruit which he has derived 
from them^ make him ardently long to draw again 
from those inexhaustible fountains the salutary waters 
that spring up to eternal life. He fears nothing so 
much as crossing the threshold of eternity without be- 
ing sustained by the bread of the strongs and he is 
urgent and importunate in asking those spiritual helps 
which his condition does not yet make imperative. The 
lukewarm Christian, on the other hand, waits to be 
advised on this point; he even thinks his attendants 
are too pressing, for he regards their warning as the 
messenger of death, of which he is in dread, and for 
which he feels himself unprepared. The fervent Chris- 
tian confesses with his accustomed exactitude; the luke- 
warm Christian prepares for the sacrament as super- 
ficially at this moment as when in health, perhaps even 
more so. 

But let us observe these opposite characters when re- 
ceiving the holy viaticum. The priest, on entering the 
chamber of the dying man, wishes him peace: to the 
fervent Christian his words bring consolation, but him 
who is lukewarm they leave in trouble and anxiety. 
With what fervor does the one join in the responses to 
the prayers of the Church ! The other seems fatigued, 
almost annoyed by them! ^^Behold,^^ the minister of 
Christ says to each, ^^behold thy King and Savior, who, 
with divine goodness and charity, comes to thee to 
strengthen thee, and lead thee to thy heavenly country.^^ 
At last, presenting the adorable Host to him, he says: 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 65 

"Behold, my brother, behold the Lamb of God, behold 
him who taketh away the sins of the world/' Then, 
drawing near, he adds: "Keceive, my brother, the 
viaticum of the body of Jesus Christ; may it defend 
thee against the attacks of the enemies of thy salva- 
tion, may it be to thee the bread of life, of eternal 
life/' 

Each receives this divine Food, but with what dif- 
ferent effects ! What relish, what sweetness, what 
strength the one finds in this heavenly manna, this 
bread of life ! With what reverence he adores the Holy 
of holies whom he now possesses ! What a consuming 
fire, what heavenly flames the God of love enkindles in 
his heart ! 

But as for the lukewarm Christian, what are his 
thoughts, what his sentiments? His previous commun- 
ions were made without preparation and without the 
firm resolve to do well : will not the last be like the 
others? Will it not also be accompanied by trouble 
and disquietude? how plainly he now sees the 
injury which he did himself by not acquiring, as he 
might easily have done, . the dispositions necessary for 
receiving the sacraments with profit ! Yet blessed shall 
he be if he now profits by this grace to repair the past, 
and kindle in his heart the fire of divine love ! But 
alas ! can he now will what he perhaps never effica- 
ciously willed before? 

In the meanwhile the two dying persons become 
weaker, and the assistants begin the prayers for the 
agonizing. "Depart, Christian soul,'' says the minis- 
ter of religion, "depart from this world; go forth to 
meet thy God.'^ how consoling to the good Christian 



66 MEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 

are these admirable words ! What sweetness they con- 
tain, and what confidence they impart ! 

"Depart, Christian sonl, depart for thy eternal 
abode; go forth to the Father Almighty who created 
thee, and whom thou hast faithfully served; go forth 
to Jesus Christ who redeemed thee, and whom thou 
hast tried to imitate ; go forth to the Holy Ghost whose 
inspirations thou hast always followed. Yes, go forth 
to God who is waiting to crown thee, to receive thee 
into his glory, and to make thee infinitely happy for 
all eternity/^ 

But what effect do these words produce on the dying 
Christian who has led a tepid life? They sound in his 
ears like a thunder-clap, so attached is he to this world 
and to himself. "Depart, Christian soul !'^ Whither 
will this soul depart ? Shall it go to the Father, whose 
power it has contemned, whose image in itself it has 
perhaps defaced? Shall it go to the Son, whose in- 
structions and example it has always despised? Shall 
it go to the Holy Ghost, whose inspirations it has so 
long resisted? Whither, then, shall it go when it 
leaves this body, and what shall it answer Him who is 
about to demand an account of the many faults which 
it has committed and the many graces which it has 
abused ? 

APPLICATION 

As we meditate on these truths, let us not confine 
ourselves to pitying the misfortune of the lukewarm 
soul and admiring the happiness of the fervent Chris- 
tian; but let us endeavor to enter into the dispositions 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 67 

of the latter, that we may have sentiments of piety 
and confidence like his when we too shall be at the point 
of death. 

Let ns be profoundly convinced that changes are 
not effected suddenly and let ns reflect seriously upon 
this truth. Frequentl}^;, nay as a rule, men are such at 
death as they were during life. Although it is indeed 
possible to receive the sacraments worthily at the hour 
of death, after having neglected them during life or 
received them without fervor, we must take care not 
to presume that such will be our case; for such rash- 
ness might well draw down upon us the curse of heaven. 
Let us never forget that the sure means of obtaining 
the grace of a happy death and of completing the work 
of our salvation is to make all our confessions and 
communions as fervently as possible. 

^Tor twenty-seven years/^ said a good religious, ^'^I 
have made every confession and communion, as if it 
were to be the last of my life.^^ Let us act in like man- 
ner, and we shall obtain the grace of receiving the last 
Sacraments worthily; we shall present ourselves before 
God at peace with him and united to his adorable Son, 
who will truly be our viaticum to a happy eternity. 

PEAYEE 

my God, what reason have I not to humble myself 
before thee, when I consider to what peril I have so 
often exposed myself by receiving the Sacraments of 
Penance and Holy Eucharist with negligence and cold- 
ness ! Alas ! in my blindness I never reflected on the 
fact that I was exposing myself by so guilty a habit to 



68 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the danger of dying a bad deaths and of thereafter 
being the pre}^ of never-ending remorse. But it shall 
not be so hereafter^ I promise thee^ my God ! 

When I shall present myself at the tribunal of Pen- 
ance I will think that perhaps this is the last time 
that I am to receive pardon of my sins^ and I will make 
my confession as if immediately after it I were to 
appear before thy tribunal. When I shall have the 
happiness of receiving holy communion^ I will prepare 
myself for it as if it were to be my viaticum for the 
great voyage to eternity. 

By so actings as with the help of th)^ grace^ I purpose 
to do^ I hope to receive thee worthily when thou wilt 
come to me for the last time upon earth. Thus through 
thy mercy may I be admitted after death to the abode 
of eternal happiness. 

Resume, page 169. 

What a contrast between the fervent religious and 
the tepid religious, at the approach of death ! 

1. The fervent religious has prepared for death; the 
tepid has given himself little trouble about it. 

2. The fervent religious is not alarmed when told 
that he is in danger; the tepid is quite surprised. 

3. The fervent religious^ feeling himself seriously ill^ 
asks of his own accord for the sacraments; the tepid 
usually waits till he is reminded of them. 

4. The fervent religious receives them piously; the 
tepid receives them as he has always received them. 

5. The fervent religious occupies himself seriously 
with his soul; the tepid thinks almost exclusively of 
his body. 

— Which of the two do we wish to resemble? The 
fervent^ doubtless; but then: 



MtDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 69 

1. Let ITS live piouslj\ 

2. Let us endeayor imceasingly to grow in fervor. 

3. Let lis excite in oiir hearts a great desire for 
heaven. 

4. Let lis love to frequent the sacraments in health, 
and we shall desire them when sick. 

5. Let us always receive them with devotion; and 
we shall receive them properly on the bed of death. 



TWELFTH MEDITATION 

GOD THREATENS SINNERS THAT HE WILL 
NOT HEAR THEM AT THE HOUR OF DEATH 

You shall seek me and shall not find me . . . you shall 
die in your sin. — John vii. 34, viii. 21. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Of all the threats that God has made to men, none 
perhaps are so terrible as those which he has addressed 
to such sinners as put off their conversion to the hour 
of death. Let us but open the Holy Scripture, and 
we shall there find presented, in characters truly fright- 
ful, the severity of God^s conduct toward the sinner 
who shuts his ears to the warnings of conscience, and 
perseveres to the end in iniquity. "'/ called,'' says he, 
''and you i^efused; I stretched out my hand, and there 
was none that regarded. You have despised all my 
counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions, I also 
will laugh in your destruction^ and will give you over 
to a reprohate sense. Then shall they call upon me, 
and I will not hear; they shall rise in the morning and 
shall not find mef'^ ilnd he adds, by the mouth of the 
prophet Amos, ''I will make it as the mourning of an 
only son, and the latter end thereof as a hitter dayf'^ 

But the Lord is not satisfied with making these 

^Prov. i. 24, 26. -Prov. i. 28. ^Amos viii. 10. 

70 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 'M 

threats, lie has also added examples to show us that 
his words are true and that we cannot with impunity 
mock his warnings. 

Let us recall the death of Antiochus. This impious 
prince, after having blasphemed the Most High, wished 
to go to Jerusalem to raze that city to its foundations. 
He was already upon his way to execute this project, 
when on a sudden, God struck him with a disease that 
caused his body to putrify. The stench arising from it 
drove away his most faithful attendants, and became 
intolerable even to himself. In this extremity the un- 
happy man confessed his misdeeds, and invoked the 
God whom he had previously insulted; but in vain. 
His prayer was rejected, and he died in his sins. 

The New Testament also mentions an impenitent 
deaths that of Judas. This traitor, although living in 
the company of Jesus, allowed the demon of avarice 
to enter his heart. At first his faults were, perhaps, 
not very grievous; but who can stop when urged on 
by passion? Does not the rapidity of his descent but 
too often hurl one over the brink of the precipice into 
the abyss below? So was it with this wretch. He 
abused numberless graces, gave no heed to the stings 
of conscience, despised the warnings of his good Master, 
and ended by infamously betraying him to the Jews. 
Then he hanged himself, that he might go to his own 
placed as St. Peter has said. 

St. Augustine gives the reason why God often re- 
fuses to pardon at the hour of death him who has 
despised his graces and warnings during life. ^^It is 
not the sinner who then abandons sin,^^ says this great 

^Acts i. 25. 



72 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

servant of God; "but it is rather sin that abandons 
the sinner/' If he does not continue to commit sin it 
is because he has no longer the power to do so; but his 
will is in reality unchanged. How many persons there 
are who during sickness seemed to be truly converted, 
but who after recovery returned to their evil habits! 
Do not these relapses warrant the inference that their 
conversion was not sincere? 

Eecalling the examples of final impenitence recorded 
in Holy Scripture^ the same saint exclaims: "Of the 
four sinners^, my brethren^ whom the Holy Ghost men- 
tions as having confessed their sins at the hour of 
death — namely^ Cain^ Antiochus, Judas^, and the good 
thief — only one obtains mercy^ and that one was washed 
in the blood of Jesus Christy who was djdng by his 
side V' Let us^ then^ fear and watch. 

Nor is it only great sinners who are thus threatened 
by the Almighty. God will not acknowledge at the 
hour of death even those who have passed a negligent 
and lukewarm life in his service; who^, while living in 
religion^ have neglected to acquire and preserve fervor; 
who^ like the sand of the desert^ have remained bar- 
ren^ though daily receiving the dew of heaven. 

To convince ourselves of this^ let us listen to the 
words of our Lord to the foolish virgins of the Gospel. 
After having gone to seek oil for their lamps, they 
return to follow the Divine Spouse into the banquet 
room, but the door is closed. Then they knock, say- 
ing, Lord, Lord, open to us; but the Savior will not 
listen to them, and answers, I hiotv you not;'' that is 
to say: "Depart from me. In punishment for your 

^Matt. XXV. 12. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 73 

negligence in m)^ service you will have no share with 
me/^ 

See, then, to what those who live in tepidity expose 
themselves ; above all those who^ abusing God's patience, 
persist in their sensual lives and criminal conduct. 
Having sown nothing but weeds, can they expect to 
gather good grain? Having planted none but barren 
trees, tliey shall eat the fruit of their own way, and 
shall he filled with their own devices} 

Who will not tremble after such warnings and such 
examples ? Who will flatter himself that he will escape 
these menaces if he remains in sin or even in tepidity ? 

APPLICATION 

Have not we who meditate on these terrible truths 
lived till now in a presumptuous security? Have we 
not many a time said to ourselves, ^'^God is good. He 
does not wish us to be lost''? God is goodness itself, 
but must we therefore be wricked, and persistent in our 
wickedness? Must we insult his justice because his 
mercy is ever ready to pardon us? Let us be on our 
guard against falling into guilty presumption, and let 
us strive to assure our perseverance by repentance and 
fervor. 

Let us turn to the Lord from this moment, and let 
us never more forsake him. Let us henceforth belong 
wholly to God. Let us live in fear of his judgments, 
and avoid, at every cost, whatever displeases him. Let 
us grieve for having so many times offended him, and 
let us offer him worthy satisfaction. 

iProv. i. 31. 



74: MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

St. Paul chastised his body and reduced it to sub- 
jection^ lest, perhaps^ as he said himself^ when I have 
preached to others, I myself should become a castaway,^ 
And how do we act ? ^Vhat penances have we imposed 
upon ourselves ? What good works have we performed ? 
Alas ! have we not taken great care to avoid everything 
that could mortify our senses^, humble our minds^ and 
thwart our inclinations? 

Such was not the conduct of those Saints of the 
Desert of whom Palladius speaks^ and who after having 
emaciated their bodies by their austerities^, and wept 
over some faults of their youth for more than fifty 
years^ still made it their prayer to God that he would 
show them mercy. Let us compare our conduct with 
theirS;, and see whether we have not something more 
to do if we would both correspond to God^s designs 
upon us and secure our salvation. 

PEAYER 

my God^ who dost utter thy menaces only that 
I may avoid the evils with which they threaten me^ 
penetrate my soul with salutary fear, that I may be 
roused from my guilty indifference. If I have the mis- 
fortune to be now at enmity with thee, make known to 
me, I beseech thee^ its cause, that I may at once break 
the bonds that fetter me. With the help of thy grace I 
propose to labor earnestly to satisfy thy justice and 
to live for thee alone. 

1 wish henceforth to sacrifice to thee my body with 
its concupiscences. I pray to thee with St. Augustine : 
"^0 Lord, cut, burn whatever in me is displeasing to 

^1 Cor. ix. 27. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 75 

thee; but take pity on my soul, and receive it into the 
kiss of peace, when it shall appear before thee/' Exer- 
cise thy justice upon me in this world, but at the mo- 
ment of death receive me into the bosom of thy infinite 
mercy. I beg this of thee, my God, through the 
intercession of Mary, the refuge of sinners and the 
patron of a good death. 

Resume, page 169. 

We must not despair of any one; yet a bad life is 
usually followed by a bad death ! 

1. God threatens to abandon the sinner. 

2. He has fulfilled this threat towards many. 

3. How few examples there are of sincere conver- 
sions effected at the moment of death ! 

4. The Scripture mentions none, but that of the 
good thief. 

5. Moreover, that is easy to conceive. How can any 
one hate on a sudden the sin which he has loved all his 
life ! 

Wherefore : 

1. Let us be converted from this very moment. 

2. Let us be sincerely converted. 

3. Let us never more commit sin. 

4. Let us beseech our Lord to receive us, in his in- 
finite mercy, at the moment of our death. 

5. Let us' ask it of him through the intercession of 
Mary. 



THIRTEENTH MEDITATION 
STATE OF THE SINNER WHEN DYING 

The death of the wicked is very evil. — Ps. xxxiii. 22. 

CONSIDEEATION 

What a frightful state is that of the sinner on his 
death-bed^ and how can we contemplate it without shud- 
dering? If the unhappy man has lost consciousness, 
repentance is impossible, and, without perceiving it, he 
is precipitated into the abyss of everlasting fire. His 
soul in that state of unconsciousness is unexpectedly 
ushered into the presence of its Sovereign Judge, and 
the first words which it hears are its sentence of con- 
demnation to endless misery. 

But suppose the dying sinner has the use of his 
faculties, what impressions must be made upon him by 
his past life, his present state, and the future that 
awaits him ! Hitherto the affairs of eternity have given 
him no concern. In his indifference and insensibility 
he heard of God, sin, death, judgment, heaven, hell, 
and eternity, without experiencing any emotion or feel- 
ing any sentiment capable either of arousing him or 
of causing him to enter into himself. But all this is 
now changed. The hour has come in which he must 
face these truths, and acknowledge that he was created 
not for time, but for eternity. Now it is that, at the 

76 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 77 

approach of death, his faith is awakened and he ap- 
preciates things at their true value; that the great 
truths of religion present themselves to his mind, and 
terrify him the more because of his past insensibility to 
them. 

^^I am about to die/' says this man, who has been 
Christian only in name ; "I am about to die : all is over 
with me; my last moment is at hand. I am about to 
die, and I have done nothing to prepare for death: I 
have observed neither the commandments of God nor 
those of his Church; nor have I fulfilled the duties 
of my state of life. Human respect has kept me in 
the evil way; I have been ashamed of God and his 
religion : with guilty eagerness have I gone after riches, 
honors, and pleasures. I have worked only for my 
body, I have done nothing for my soul.'' 

^^I am about to die,'' will the remiss and unfaithful 
religious exclaim. "I am about to die, and far from 
preparing for death by a good and exemplary life, I 
have left nothing undone to make it frightful and 
terrible. Alas ! how have I observed my rules ? \Vliat 
account have I made of my vows — of poverty, obedi- 
ence, chastity, and perseverance in my vocation ? What 
profit have I drawn from the Sacraments which I have 
so many times received? What use have I made of the 
many graces, inspirations, and admonitions that I 
have received, the good example that I have witnessed ? 

The sinner, enslaved by his guilty passions, thinks 
only of satisfying himself, forgetful alike of God who 
forbids sin, of paradise which he risks, and hell which 
he merits. But at the approach of death he compre- 
hends his condition and the fate that awaits him; he 



78 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sees the abyss which he has prepared for himself, and 
the miseries which he has heaped upon his guilty head. 
During life he made little account of grace, of even 
the most efficacious graces; but at the hour of death he 
perceives that his guilty resistance has been as injuri- 
ous to himself as it has been insulting to the goodness 
of God. Then he calls to mind the inspirations which 
he rejected, the remorse which he stifled, the Sacra- 
ments by which he failed to profit, the graces which he 
abused, the good inclinations which he disregarded, 
and the whisperings of conscience to which he would 
not listen; and at the sight of so many faults com- 
mitted and so many graces neglected, he becomes terri- 
fied, and is plunged in an agony of despair. 

On his side, the devil, who, when he wishes us to 
commit sin, is so skillful in hiding from us its heinous- 
ness, and in suggesting God^s goodness and the facility 
of obtaining mercy and pardon, changes his tactics at 
the hour of death, and uses every effort to plunge the 
sinner into despair. ^^Your sin is too great,^^ he says; 
'*^your iniquities are too numerous to allow of reasonable 
hope of pardon. Listen to them, for they already say 
to your soul, ^Depart from this world^; there is no 
longer time for preparation; you should have been 
ready, as he who is Truth itself had warned you.^^ 

In addition to these torments that weigh upon him, 
the sinner experiences the keenest anguish at quitting 
forever all that he loved in this world, while the terri- 
ble prospect stretches before him of an eternity of 
misery in that abyss of fire into which he is so soon 
to be precipitated. 

my God, who can picture how lamentable is his 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 79 

condition^ and how well calculated to chill our hearts 
with terror ! "I believe/^ said a holy priest^ ^^that the 
most guilty criminals would be converted had they 
witnessed, as I have done^ the death of a hardened 
sinner. His cries, his despair, his rage, his contortions 
were truly anticipations of the torments of hell. I 
tremble whenever I call that picture to mind.^^ 

APPLICATION 

Let us, then, be profoundly convinced that the death 
of the sinner is the most frightful of all calamities, 
the very thought of which should fill us with terror 
and alarm. For it is at the moment of death that 
Divine Justice abandons the guilty soul to the fury of 
the devils, and gives it over a prey to those envious 
spirits who will forever rejoice at its tears and suffer- 
ings. Let us, theU;, reflect on the misery of a bad 
deaths and^ with the grace of God^ let us do all in 
our power to avoid it. This we can easily accomplish 
by making use of the means of salvation, general and 
particular, which our religion and our holy rules fur- 
nish us. 

Let us be deeply convinced of this truth, that the 
death of the wicked is very evil/ and let us not hesi- 
tate to sacrifice everything rather than experience its 
bitter reality. Let us, therefore^ fear sin and shun it 
at every cost. how justly are those who commit it 
to be accounted their own worst enemies ! AVhat re- 
morse they prepare for themselves ! How bitterly on 

iPs. xxxiii. 22. 



80 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

their death-bed they will deplore their foolish conduct ! 

Let US neglect nothing that can secure ns a happy 
death. Let ns not only be on onr guard against falling 
into grievous faults^ but let us also avoid, with the 
greatest care^ such as are venial. Let us fear that state 
of tepidity, into which it is so easy to fall^ and which 
leads almost insensibly to mortal sin and subsequently 
to a bad death. 

Let us make a holy use of the Sacraments. Let us 
never go to confession without sentiments of sincerity 
and contrition; at the same time, let us never live with 
a troubled and seriously disquieted conscience. Let us 
always prepare seriously for holy Communion^ and let 
us make our thanksgiving well. 

We shall thus draw down upon ourselves the mercy 
of God^ and obtain the great grace of a happy death. 
Far from being terrified at the approach of our last 
agony^ we shall confidently exclaim^ with St. Teresa: 
^^Behold;, Lord^ the hour of my deliverance! May 
thy will be done. It is now time for my soul to quit 
its exile and find in thy presence that happiness for 
which it has so long sighed !^' 

PEAYEE 

my God, what a fate would be mine for all eter- 
nity if I died at enmity with thee ! I beseech theC;, by 
the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, my Savior, and 
through the intercession of Mary, my good and loving 
]\rother, preserve me from that frightful calamity- 
Grant^ I implore thee, that I may become more faith- 
ful to thy inspirations and to the dictates of conscience, 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 81 

and that I maj^ correspond more perfectly to thy de- 
signs upon me. 

I purpose, with the help of thy grace, to avoid sin, 
and to repent sincerely of all the faults that I have 
had the misfortune to commit up to this moment. I 
will make my confessions with all possible sincerity, 
that I may be able to look calmly upon death when my 
last hour shall come, and after making the sacrifice 
of my life to thy justice, may enjoy the happiness of 
being received into thy infinite mercy. 

Resume, page 170. 

What a frightful state is that of the dying sinner ! 

1. If he has lost consciousness, he falls, without per- 
ceiving it, into hell, which closes upon him. 

2. If he has his senses, what impression does not the 
remembrance of his past life make upon him ! 

3. What sufferings the present occasions ! 

4. Above all, what are his feelings as he sees eternity 
approaching, and he is about to appear before the su- 
l^reme tribunal? 

5. Unhappy man! It seems to him that the fiery 
abyss is already open for him ! The devil perhaps keeps 
that thought before him, in order to make him despair. 

What torments ! What a state ! 

— Yes, the death of the wicked is very evil. 

1. Let us be fully convinced of this truth. 

2. Let us beg of God the grace not to experience it 
in our own person. 

3. Let us shun sin and its occasions. 

4. Let us fear it and have a horror of it. 

5. Let us prepare carefully to receive the sacraments. 



FOURTEENTH MEDITATION 

WHO THOSE ARE THAT DIE A BAD DEATH 

Neither can a bad tree yield good fruit. — Matt. vii. 18. 

COKSIDEEATION 

A bad death generally follows a bad life: this is an 
important law which every Christian should bear in 
mind. The tree falls to the side toward which it leans. 
If it lean to the right, it will fall to the right; if it 
lean to the left, it will fall to the left. In other words, 
it ,is probable that every man will die in that state which 
has become habitual with him; he will die a saint, if 
he has lived in the state of grace; a sinner, if he has 
persevered in mortal sin. 

To die a good death, after having led a bad life, it 
is necessary to return sincerely to God; but unfortu- 
nately, because the sinner has too long deferred his 
conversion, he seldom has then either the time or the 
requisite dispositions. For he must then make a good 
confession; and is there not reason to fear that he 
may be deprived at his last hour of those special graces 
of choice and circumstance of which he is in so much 
need ? 

Doubtless, the mercy of God is without limit, and 
can work miracles; but what ground has the sinner for 

82 



MEDITATIONS 0^ OUR LAST END 83 

presuming on a miracle in his behalf? How can he 
who has always turned a deaf ear to the call of his 
Lord reasonably hope to receive another call at his 
last hour? Let the wicked try as they may to base 
their confidence on the fact that God did not create 
them to be lost; unless they be converted to him they 
will only be wresting this truth to their own destruc- 
tion. They will die in their sins and will be condemned 
by Infinite Justice. 

It is true^ God did not create us to be lost. On the 
contrary, he wills all men to be saved; and to merit 
this grace for them, Jesus Christ subjected himself to 
countless labors and sufferings, and even to an igno- 
minious death ! But God, who created us without our 
consent, will not save us without our co-operation. As 
St. Augustine says: ^^He gives us grace, he furnishes 
us with the means necessary for our salvation; but he 
does not compel us, he uses no violence against our 
will. That is to say, he leaves those free to act who 
are determined to lose their souls; he does not force 
those to practise virtue who have no desire to do so; 
and such as do not wdsh to be converted, he does not 
convert in spite of themselves.'^ 

No argument, then, can disprove the principle that 
as man lives, so shall he die. If, therefore, we desire 
to die well, let us take care to live well. Let us be on 
our guard against a sentiment of security, which would 
prove fatal if there were anjrthing in us displeasing to 
God. 

It is not only those who profess to believe nothing 
and fear nothing that are in danger of dying a bad 
death; it is not only those public sinners who scoff at 



84 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

religion and its mysteries, those scandalous apostates 
whose wicked example drags multitudes of souls into 
hell, those habitual sinners who have, as it were, made 
a covenant with the devil, either to cherish sin in their 
hearts or to call it back at the first opportunity. It is 
those also who, though professing a certain outward 
respect for religion, yet fail to practise their faith; 
those who, though possessing several of the moral vir- 
tues, are still bad Christians, transgressing the com- 
mandments that oppose their inclinations, refusing God 
the homage which they owe him, and neglecting the 
obligations of their state. It is thope also who continue 
in the state of sin, who fail to profit by the Sacraments 
which they receive; those, above all, who profane them, 
and thus trample under foot the Blood of Eedemption. 
It is those who defer their return to God, and say al- 
ways : "To-morrow, to-morrow V^ Alas ! how much 
reason have they to fear that for them there will be no 
morrow of grace and repentance, and that they will die 
in their sins ! 

Moreover, according to all appearances, those also 
will die a bad death who are inconstant Christians, 
whose will is sometimes subject to God, sometimes to 
the devil ; sometimes seeking the pleasures of the world, 
sometimes detached from them; now rising from sin, 
and now relapsing into evil; who seem to go to con- 
fession only to sin afterwards, and to sin that they 
may go to confession; who will begin too late to seek 
the Lord, and therefore will not find him, but will die 
in their sins. 

To the same danger of a bad death do those remiss 
Christians expose themselves who, as if constantly 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 85 

oppressed by drowsiness, pass their days in a deplorable 
spiritual lethargy, who neglect to watch over their con- 
science, to make their examens, to render to themselves 
an account of how they stand with God, and who omit 
their prayers. Alas! when one has been long in such 
a state, it rarely happens that he does not fall into 
mortal sin, and thus run the greatest danger of being 
surprised by death. 

With greater reason are those lukewarm religious in 
danger of a bad death who take no care of their souls, 
who make no effort to attain perfection, who give no 
heed to the affair of their salvation. how much 
reason they have to fear lest they be rejected by God, 
fall into grievous sin, and die in final impenitence I 

APPLICATION 

Let us see what are our dispositions. If we were at 
this moment to die, on which side should we fall? To 
judge of this, let us consider to which side we lean: 
our works and our conscience will tell us. 

Are we not in the state of sin? Do we not neglect 
the duties of our holy state? Do we receive the Sacra- 
ments with benefit to our souls ? Do we not check their 
salutary effects by our want of good will? Do we take 
sufficient care to keep our conscience free from every 
voluntary fault? Do our thoughts, our desires, our 
affections — in a word, does our soul incline to God or 
to the world? Does it incline toward the exact per- 
formance of the duties of our state, or toward remiss- 
ness in this regard? Does it tend toward perfection, 
or, on the contrary, toward tepidity? 



86 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Let us examine ourselves with all the attention which 
the importanee of this inquiry demands. Our lot for 
eternity may depend on our present dispositions; it is 
therefore essential for us to know what they are and 
to ascertain whether or not they are favorable to our 
salvation and sanctification. 

What are our relations with God? Does he see in 
us faithful servants^ Christians worthy of the name, 
fervent religious, who desire nothing more than to 
please him, that we may one day possess him in heaven ? 
Or, on the contrary, does he behold in us sinners, or 
even lukewarm souls, characterized by indifference in 
his service? 

Are we faithful to our obligations? Is our line of 
conduct strictly conformable to our holy rules? of 
how great importance it is that it should be so ! Our 
rules are for us a sure and holy guide in all our desires, 
thoughts, and actions. By observing them we employ 
the certain means of securing a happy death, and of 
being admitted, when we depart from this world, to 
enjoy supreme felicity with God in heaven. 

PEAYER 

my God, who allowest me to meditate to-day on 
the causes of a bad death, grant that none of these may 
any longer exist in me. Give me a horror for sin, a 
spirit of piety and fervor, an affection for thy holy law, 
and fidelity to my rules, that I may be always pleasing 
in thy sight, and that, by dying in thy love, I may be 
admitted to reign with thee in thy glory. This is what 
I ask of thee through the merits of the sufferings and 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 87 

death of Jesus, my adorable Savior, and through the 
intercession of Mary, from whose hands thou art pleased 
to dispense to us all favors, especially the grace of final 
perseverance. 

Resume, page 170. 

A bad death usually follows a bad life. 

Those, then, expose themselves to die a bad death: 

1. Who live habitually in mortal sin. 

2. Who do not practise their religion. 

3. Who abuse the sacraments, or, at least, do not 
profit by them to amend their lives. 

4. Who take no care of their conscience, leaving it 
like an uncultivated field. 

5. Who, having embraced the religious life, fail to 
observe their Eules. 

— Do we wish to avoid the supreme misfortune of 
dying in sin? 

1. Let us not live in sin. 

2. Let us fulfil our religious duties well. 

3. Let us receive the sacraments with the requisite 
dispositions, that each confession and each communion 
may cause us to make some spiritual progress. 

4. Let us cultivate a delicate conscience. 

5. Let us tend effectually to perfection by the faith- 
ful observance of our holy Eules. 



FIFTEENTH MEDITATION 
IT IS NECESSARY TO PREPARE FOR DEATH 

Take order with thy house; for thou shalt die and not live. 
— Isai. xxxviii. i. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us make haste to put our affairs in order, for we 
shall soon die. Let us prepare ourselves for that mo- 
ment on which our eternal happiness or misery depends. 
Nothing is more important^, nothing is more strongly 
recommended to us. 

Jesus Christ says: Be you also ready!' Watch ye, 
therefore; because ye Tcnow not the day nor the hour^ 
But alas ! how little do men conform to this recom- 
mendation ! How deplorable is their indifference to 
their true interests ! 

If a good or a bad death were a thing of small con- 
sequence ; if it were only a question, in the first case, of 
a little more or a little less happiness, and, in the 
second, of a misfortune that might be repaired, of 
more or less suffering for a longer or shorter time, we 
might understand the sense of security in which men 
seem to live in spite of their many faults. But how 
can it be explained when we reflect that the evil con- 
sequences of a bad death are irreparable; that if the 

^Matt xxiv. 44. ^j^att. xxv. 13. 

88 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 89 

soul is lost, all is lost ; that nothing then remains but 
inconceivable and unending torment? 

how true are the words of our Divine Master^ that 
the children of this world are wiser in the affairs of 
time than are the children of light in those of eternity ! 
And, indeed, what precautions does not a man of the 
world take to conduct successfully an affair of some 
importance, a lawsuit, for instance, which he is anxious 
to gain? He chooses a skillful advocate, he goes and 
comes, and gives himself no rest, day or night. What 
will not man do to preserve his health or to be cured 
of a grievous distemper? He will consult a physician 
of great experience, he will conform with the greatest 
exactness to all his prescriptions, and if it be judged 
necessary, he will not hesitate to sacrifice a limb to save 
his life. 

Yet what is at stake ? In the one case, some money, 
some property that must be abandoned sooner or later; 
in the other, a temporal life! And to prepare our- 
selves for a good death, which will make us worthy of 
heaven, to avoid a bad death, which will entail ever- 
lasting suffering, we do nothing, we give ourselves no 
trouble ! Is this acting like Christians ? Is it even 
acting like reasonable beings? 

If a friend had been charged to prepare a place in 
heaven for us, and to preserve us from hell, or, in other 
words, to save our soul, we should make him a thou- 
sand observations as to the precautions which he ought 
to take to ensure success; we should lay before him 
with great earnestness the necessity of employing great 
zeal, and the danger to which his negligence would ex- 
pose us. It is a question, we should tell him, of in- 



90 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

finite happiness or misery^ of the enjoyment or the 
privation of God forever. From the depths of our 
heart we would cry out : ^^0 dear friend^ since you 
have the power^, save me^ I beseech you by all that you 
hold most dear V^ 

Now, each one of us is that friend;, for each of us 
can, with the help of God^s grace, save himself ; each 
one holds his eternal destiny in his own hands. Let 
us, then, rouse ourselves and labor to secure our own 
unending happiness. 

And not only our own dearest interests urge us 
thereto. God himself presses us to accept the forgive- 
ness and the happiness which he offers us. What good- 
ness ! What generosity ! To what can we compare it ? 
Let us suppose that a ruler whose duty it was to pro- 
nounce sentence upon a criminal so humbled himself 
as to go and seek him in his prison, and address him 
in these words: ^^My dear friend, you are ver}?" guilty. 
I know your misdeeds, I shall be forced to condemn 
you. I shall have no power to prevent it, however 
great my desire to see you acquitted. Yet if you will 
adopt such and such means, take such and such a meas- 
ure, I promise not only to restore you to liberty but 
to raise you to honor and power.'^ 

This is only a faint image of what God has done 
for us. What will never be witnessed before a civil 
tribunal takes place every instant before the tribunal 
of divine justice. Jesus Christ, the Supreme Judge, 
comes to us and says: ^Toor sinners, be converted, 
confess your sins, repent and do penance, and not only 
shall I not condemn you to everlasting flames, but I 
will give you a place with me in paradise.^^ If there 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 91 

be any sinners ^vho refuse such offers^, who reject such 
advances, how cruel they are to themselves ! Who can 
conceive their blindness and folly ? 

APPLICATIOIT 

Blessed, then, are they who, corresponding to the 
wishes of the Savior, hold themselves in readiness to 
appear before his tribunal; who leave nothing undone 
to merit a favorable sentence; who in this life satisfy 
his justice, that in the next they may experience only 
the effects of his mercy. 

Let us be of that number. Let us do now what we 
shall wish to have done at the hour of death, when the 
minister of God will say to us : ^^Your career is ended ; 
time for you shall be no more ; go to appear before God 
and render an account of the talents with which you 
have been entrusted, the graces to which you should 
have corresponded, and the means of salvation which 
have been placed at your disposal/^ 

Let us prepare, or rather let us always be ready, as 
our Divine Master warns us; let us not delay, but 
rather at once put our hands to the work. Let us be 
careful not to imitate the foolish virgins who, not being 
ready when the heavenly Spouse came to conduct them 
to the banquet, were afterward rejected by him as un- 
known, and cast from his presence forever. 

That we may be ready, let us keep our conscience 
free from sin; and to that end let us frequently and 
carefully examine it. Let us question our hearts as 
to our thoughts, our actions, and our habits; as to the 
manner in which we discharge our obligations and fre- 



93 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

quent the SacramentS;, and as to the profit that we de- 
rive from these charms of grace. 

Let us at times imagine ourselves at the point of 
death and about to appear before our Judge^ who will 
examine all our acts^ and let us see whether we can 
have any confidence in the works that we have accom- 
plished, and what we can allege in our justification. 

At least once a month let us make the spiritual exer- 
cise of preparation for death; let us, in thought, be 
present at our death-bed. In the light of our approach- 
ing dissolution let us carefully examine our consci- 
ence, then make our confession as if it were to be our 
last, and afterward receive holy communion as if it 
were our viaticum. In the evening, when we retire, 
let us again picture ourselves lying on our death-bed; 
let us imagine that we are about to receive the Sacra- 
ment of Extreme Unction ; finally, let us offer to God 
the sacrifice of our life in union with that of Jesus 
dying upon the Cross. This is an extremely salutary 
practice, to which we cannot be too faithful. 

Moreover, what we thus only picture to ourselves 
might prove a reality. For who will assure us that this 
day is not our last, that one of us shall not to-day hear 
the words: ^^Eejoice, watchful and faithful servant, 
thou art confirmed in sanctity and put in possession 
of eternal happiness ?'^ Of if he be in the state of sin : 
^^All is lost for thee, slothful and wicked servant, thou 
must be cast into outer darkness where there is weep- 
ing and gnashing of teeth.^^ Let us hasten to put our 
conscience in order while we have time and grace to 
do it, for to-morrow may be too late. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 93 

PEAYEE 

In thy infinite goodness toward me^, merciful Jesus, 
thou dost warn me to be always ready, for death may 
strike me at any moment, even when I least expect it. 
Alas ! Lord, I am obliged to acknowledge in thy 
presence that I have profited but little by this charitable 
warning and invitation. 

But I am resolved to do better for the future, and 
therefore I beg of thee to grant me both the grace of 
knowing my conscience well this day and the courage 
to do penance for my faults, to discharge faithfully all 
my obligations, and so to prepare myself as not to 
dread that terrible moment in which the book of time 
will be closed for me, and that of eternity be opened. 

Resume, page 171. 



Let us prepare ourselves for death. Nothing in this 
world is so important for us as this. 

1. Jesus Christ says to us: ^^Be ye ready.^^ 

2. The consequences of a good death are infinitely 
good. 

3. The consequences of a bad death are infinitely 
evil. 

4. Consider the efforts of men of the world to suc- 
ceed in their affairs. But is not this the most impor- 
tant of all affairs? 

5. God himself urges us to secure, by a sincere con- 
version, the grace of a good death. 

— Let us, then, comprehend: 

1. That it is folly and cruelty not to occupy our- 
selves seriouvsly with the preparation for death. 

2. That it is to give no heed to the words of Jesus 
Christ. 



94 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

3. That this negligence exposes us to the most fright- 
ful misfortune. 

4. That we must, as soon as possible, return to God 
by sincere penance. 

5. That it is necessary from this very moment to 
begin a life of good works, to inspire us with confi'dence 
in its happy ending. 



SIXTEENTH MEDITATION 

THE DEATH OF THE JUST 

But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be 
in rest. — Wisd. iv. 7. 

COJ^SIDEEATION 

Let us picture to ourselves a man come from a far 
country^, in which he has concluded a business affair 
of so great importance that it concerned the preserva- 
tion not only of his honor^ property^, and healthy but 
also of his life. He had arrived at the hour and mo- 
ment most convenient to see his counsel^ instruct his 
advocates, and justify his conduct. A day, an hour 
later, judgment would have been pronounced against 
him, and he would have been sentenced to punishment. 
But in place of this ignominious sentence, to which the 
least delay would have made him liable, he has obtained 
great honor and become the favorite of his sovereign. 

how sincerely he felicitates himself I How over- 
joyed he is ! How fortunate he considers his conduct 
in refusing himself during his journey every amuse- 
ment, every relaxation that could have delayed his ar- 
rival at so critical a time! What joy, what satisfac- 
tion he now experiences because he then made haste 
and took all the means necessary to prevent delay; 
above all, when he learns that many others with whom 
he had made the same journey and for a similar pur- 

95 



96 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

pose had been condemned in consequence of their delay 
on the way^, their too great care for their own comfort, 
or their yielding to the wishes of certain friends who 
engaged them to join in parties of pleasure, and who 
deceived them by false promises ! 

How great is the joy of the seaman when he arrives 
safe in port, with his vessel laden with a cargo of 
precious merchandise! He has faced many perils, en- 
countered many tempests, steered clear of dangerous 
rocks, and been pursued by enemies ; but at last he has 
triumphed over all obstacles and come to a place of 
safety. The work he had undertaken is accomplished, 
his honor is safe, his fortune is made, everyone con- 
gratulates him, and he felicitates himself on the happy 
issue of his voyage. 

All these instances, however, are only faint images 
of the happiness which the just man experiences at the 
hour of death. He sees, on reviewing the past, to how 
many dangers he has been exposed, how many times his 
salvation has been imperilled ; he knows that many who 
were in the same circumstances have been lost. how 
greatly he is consoled, then, in recalling the good works 
which he did with the help of grace! How greatly he 
felicitates himself on having been faithful to his obli- 
gations, on having fulfilled the will of God exactly, 
observed the commandments faithfully, confessed and 
done penance for his sins; and, if he is a religious, on 
having kept his vows and observed his holy rule! 

In him are fulfilled the words of the royal Prophet : 
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his 
saints.^ And he has every reason to say, with St. Paul : 

*Ps. cxv. 15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 97 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gam.^ Such is 
indeed his happiness that all the grandeur, riches, and 
pleasures of this world cannot be compared to it; it is 
even caused by his contempt for these transitory goods, 
which are so powerless to satisfy the heart of man. 

"What would it avail me/^ says this faithful servant, 
"to have acquired distinction among men, to have made 
friends, received important commissions and heaped 
up immense riches, since now I should have been 
obliged to abandon everything? What would it avail 
me to have shared the pleasures of the world, to have 
conformed to its maxims, to have followed its cus- 
toms ? I condemn now, and shall condemn through all 
eternity, those things which might have caused me 
irreparable misfortune. 

"0 how I now rejoice at having followed the les- 
sons and the example of my Savior! how wise I 
have been in applying myself to gain heaven at the 
expense of all the possessions and enjoyments which I 
might have procured in this world !'' 

Thus he dies, not only without regret and anxiety, 
but even with a holy joy. He dies with a humble and 
lively confidence in God, and with the most assured 
hope of enjoying the immortality promised him. He 
dies in the exercise of the virtues which he has con- 
stantly practised throughout life; he dies making a 
generous sacrifice of his life, and enriched with the 
immense treasures which he has heaped up for him- 
self in heaven. 

He receives in his last moments the assistance of his 
Guardian Angel, who defends him against the assaults 

^Philip, i. 21. 



98 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of the devil and, after his death, presents his sonl to 
God. He secures the powerful and consoling protec- 
tion of St. Joseph, the patron of a good death; he 
enjoys also that of the most Blessed Virgin, who then, 
in a special manner, shows herself a mother to him by 
interceding for him, supporting him, and filling his 
soul with a sweet confidence. 

Jesns Christ, who is to be his Judge, comes to visit 
him and to be his viaticum on the way to heaven. And 
it is in union with his Savior that the dying man says 
to God, as he breathes forth his last sigh: Father, into 
thy hands I commend my spirit!' 

APPLICATION 

We all wish the happiness of the just man when 
dying to be ours. We all wish to close our lives in 
the state of grace, after being entirely cleansed of our 
sins. We all pray that God may receive us into his 
bosom at the very moment when we quit this earth. 
Let us, then, do all that is necessary to obtain this 
signal favor. Let us ask it of God by fervent prayer. 
Let us often hear Mass with this intention. Let us 
implore the assistance of Mary and Joseph for the hour 
of our death. 

On our part, let us do all that we can to secure a 
happy death, and often say to ourselves, with St. Ber- 
nard: ^^Since I wish to die the death of the just, I 
must live like them, in the faithful observance of the 
law of God.'' Let us undertake nothing of im- 
portance without asking ourselves whether it will 

^Luke xxiii. 46. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 99 

contribute to make our death holy. Let us, with St. 
Teresa, say every morning when we awake: ^^Behokl a 
day given me to merit a happy eternity.^' And at every 
hour of the day let us repeat with the same saint : ^^I 
am one hour nearer to eternity.^' 

Let us every month make a special exercise of prepar- 
ation for death. Let us, then, meditate on the inevit- 
able goal toward which time is hurrying us. Let us 
reflect on the state of our conscience, and hear Mass 
and communicate as if it were for the last time, offer- 
ing our life to God in union with Jesus Christ dying 
on the cross. 

It is by these salutary practices that we shall really 
prepare for a happy departure from this world, and 
merit to possess the Sovereign Good in the land of the 
living. 

PEAYEE 



my God, how good and merciful thou art to those 
that love thee and obey thy holy law ! Thou consolest 
them in their sufferings, thou makest even their heaviest 
crosses agreeable, and at the hour of death thou fillest 
them with consolation and givest them a firm hope of 
being admitted into that heavenly kingdom for which 
they have longed so much. Grant me the same grace, 
my God. I know that I do not deserve it; but the 
less I merit it, the more admirable will be thy mercy, 
if thou deignest to hear me, and the more thy Saints 
will praise it through all eternity. This favor I ask 
of thee, my dear Savior, by thy own infinite merits 



100 MEDITATIONS ON" OUR LAST END 

and through the i;ritercessioii of thj^ most holy Mother. 
Resume, page 171. 

Happy are they who die in justice ! 

1. They have terminated the most important^ the 
most serious, the most diflficult of all affairs. 

2. They are saved from all peril. 

3. Their souls are in peace and full of confidence. 

4. In their last hour they are assisted by their guard- 
ian angels, by the Blessed Virgin, by Saint Joseph, and 
by Jesus Christ himself, who becomes their viaticum. 

Full of merits for heaven, they leave the earth, say- 
ing lovingly in union with Jesus Christ : ^Tather, into 
thy hands I commend my spirit.^' 

— Do we wish to enjoy these advantages? 

1. Let us ask it of God by fervent prayer. 

2. Let us occupy ourselves seriously with our salva- 
tion. 

3. Let us make all concur to that end. 

4. Let us faithfully keep the law of God. 

5. Let us from time to time make the exercise of 
preparation for death. 



SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION 
A GOOD DEATH 

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his 
saints. — Ps. cxv. 15. 

COis^SIDEEATION' 

A good death is a masterpiece in the production of 
which God and man co-operate : God beginning and com- 
pleting it by his grace, which man receives and applies. 
A good death;, being the result of God's grace and man's 
co-operation, is very pleasing to God, and beyond all 
estimation profitable to man; while it furnishes a sub- 
ject of greatest joy to the saints and the angels. 

A good death is pleasing to God, because it is the 
crowning triumph of his grace in the soul, and is the 
fruit of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. It is 
also very pleasing to God, because by it one more saint 
is called to heaven to glorify him for all eternity. By 
it an innocent soul is enabled to present to its Divine 
Spouse the white robe vrith which it was clothed on 
the day of baptism; one more of the elect who had 
been consecrated to God from his tenderest years goes 
to mingle with the blessed spirits who praise the good- 
ness of the Lord throughout eternity. Or perhaps it 
is some wanderer from the path of virtue, who has 
retraced his steps and done penance for his sin; one 

101 



102 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

who had indeed soiled his garments in the filth of 
». iniquity, but who, having washed them in the blood of 
^' the Lamb, goes to render eternal homage to his gener- 
ous Redeemer. In a word, by death a well-beloved 
child, after an exile of longer or shorter duration, re- 
turns to his Father to testify to him the deepest love, 
to offer him the sincerest homage and the profoundest 
adoration, with the certainty of never again being 
separated from him. 

Jesus Christ, as Savior and Eedeemer, welcomes this 
soul as his own conquest, and presents it to his father 
as a trophy of his victory over sin and hell. ^^0 my 
Father,^^ he says, ^"^thou hast given me this faithful 
servant, this friend of my heart; grant him the in- 
heritance which thou hast promised him. He has been 
my disciple; he is my brother and thy child; through 
all eternity he will be the blessed object of thy affec- 
tion, and it will be his happiness to celebrate forever 
thy ineffable perfections.^^ 

The angels and the saints rejoice that the New 
Jerusalem, the city of God, counts one more inhabi- 
tant. How gladly they open their ranks to receive this 
new citizen of heaven, whose voice will unite with theirs 
in celebrating the triumph of the Lamb ! 

The death of the saints, which thus gives so much 
joy to the Church triumphant, is also very beneficial 
to themselves, since it delivers them forever, not only 
from the miseries of this life, which follow one an- 
other in rapid succession, and which are a continual 
source of grief and anxiety, but because it frees them 
from the liability to sin. how precious is death to 
one who looks upon it in this light ! During our mor- 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 103 

tal life ever\i:hing makes war upon us; the devil, the 
world, and our own nature are leagued together to ac- 
complish our ruin. AVhat can be more wretched than 
a life of constant warfare, in which there is neither 
peace nor truce^, and wherein one is constantly in 
danger of losing God^s grace, and is therefore com- 
pelled unceasingly to watch over himself, and fight 
against his natural inclinations, if he would escape 
eternal ruin? On the other hand, what subject of 
greater happiness than a holy death, which closes this 
period of probation and uncertainty ? 

The death of the just man is a good beyond all esti- 
mation: it puts an end to many miseries, and begins 
a happiness that will be everlasting; it puts his soul 
in possession of a glory which is boundless and in- 
comparable, which it will enjoy forever in the bosom of 
its God. 

Hence the Scripture calls death the passage from a 
terrestrial mansion to a heavenly one, from an abode 
wanting in every comfort to one of marvellous beauty, 
furnished with unimaginable splendor. A good death 
brings with it the certainty that a happy change will 
be WTOught on the last day, when our animal and cor- 
ruptible body, which is so vile and contemptible, will 
be endowed with spiritual properties and clothed with 
resplendent beauty. 

Xothing is better established than this truth, that a 
good death is the source of incalculable advantages. For 
the just man, it is the termination of a constant and 
cruel warfare, and the commencement of a lasting and 
glorious peace; it is the departure from a foreign land, 
or rather from a place of exile, to his own true coun- 



104 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

tiy. It is the release of a prisoner;, and his restoration 
to the bosom of his family, from which nothing will 
ever again separate him; it is the close of a miserable 
existence, and the beginning of a life of glorious im- 
mortality. It is a manifestation of the goodness of 
God, who wishes ns to enjoy a happiness that will never 
end. It is the accomplishment of the words of Holy 
Scripture: But the just shall live for evermore^ and 
their retoard is with the Lord, and the care of them with 
the most nigh. Therefore shall they receive a king- 
dom of glory, and a croivn of beauty at the hand of the 
Lord, for with his right hand he will cover them, and 
with his holy arm he will defend them^ 

APPLICATION 

Since the advantages of a happy death are so great, 
shonld we not do all that lies in our power to secure 
it? ^^0 my dear child,^' said his Christian mother to 
St. Symphorian, who was about to suffer a glorious 
martyrdom at Autun, "look up to heaven, and raise 
thy thoughts to that happy abode. To-day thou art 
going to exchange a life of misery for one of endless 
happiness. K few moments' sufferings, and heaven for 
all eternity will be thine.^^ 

In these terms did the saints speak of a happy death ; 
they all looked upon it as the one thing necessary, tlie 
only good worth striving for. Let us look upon it as 
they did, and do all that is in our jDower to obtain the 
great grace of dying as they died. 

Let us incessantly ask this favor of our Lord, by the 

^Wisd. V. 16, 17. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END ' 105 

merits of his passion and death. Let us entreat him 
to have mercy upon our soul on the last day, and not 
suffer it to be lost^, since he created it to be saved. On 
our part, let us avoid everything that could expose us 
to the danger of a bad death. Let us avoid sin and 
its occasions; let us keep our conscience free from 
grievous faults, and, far from resisting grace, let us 
always correspond thereto in order to effect our sanctifi- 
cation. 

Eemembering that the most Blessed Virgin and St. 
Joseph are the patrons of a good death, let us have a 
lively and filial devotion toward them, and thus merit 
their assistance in our last hour and attain to ever- 
lasting happiness. 

PEAYER 

Since to die in thy love, my God, is to possess 
thy glory and secure the ineffable happiness of enjoy- 
ing thy presence for all eternity, I beg such a death of 
thee with all possible earnestness. 

Grant me the grace of a happy death, the crowning 
grace merited for me by the blood of my adorable 
Savior. Grant me this ineffable boon, which will secure 
for me the happiness of possessing thee in heaven, and 
of there testifying my gratitude through eternity for 
the many favors which thou hast bestowed upon me in 
this life. This I ask of thee in the name of Jesus 
Christ, my Savior, who, to merit for us all a good 
death, willed to suffer and die upon the cross. 

Mary, my dear Mother, who didst die througli 
love, obtain for me the grace of dying in the love of 



106 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

Jesus Christ;, thy divine Son^ that with thee I may 
for all eternity bless him and praise his infinite mercy. 

Resume, page 172. 

Nothing can supply for a good death, whereas a 
good death supplies for all else. A good death 

1. Is the crowning work of God and man^ of grace 
and of our co-operation with grace. 

2. It is a triumph for Jesus Christ. 

3. It is a source of joy to the angels and saints. 

4. It marks the end of the trials and troubles of this 
world. 

5. It is the beginning of eternal joy. 

It is the entrance to port after a perilous voyage. It 
is a return to home after a weary exile. 

— Understanding what the grace of a good death is: 

1. Let us earnestly ask it of our Lord and Savior. 

2. Let us avoid all that might be an obstacle thereto. 

3. Let us form a good conscience. 

4. Let us correspond faithfully with God's designs 
on us. 

5. Let us be entirely devoted to the Blessed Virgin 
and Saint Joseph, that they may assist us in our last 
hour. 



EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION 
THE LAST SACRAMENTS 

Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests 
of the Church. — James v. 14. 

CONSIDEEATIOX 

To understand how useful and important is the ad- 
ministration of the last Sacraments^ let us go in spirit 
to the bed of a dying man who is about to receive 
them, and let us see what takes place there. We shall 
thus form an idea of what will probabh^ occur to us at 
a day which, perhaps, is not so distant as we imagine. 

On a table which serves as an altar are placed a 
crucifix, two lighted candles, some flowers or other 
ornaments, and different objects used in the ceremon- 
ial prescribed for the occasion. The sorrowing friends 
of the dying man stand around his bed and look anx- 
ious and disquieted; they seem to be in expectation of 
some important event. Suddenly a slight noise is heard ; 
they listen, and distinguish the sound of a bell coming 
gradually nearer, then the murmur of a prayer recited 
alternately by a priest and his attendants. This prayer 
is offered in the name of the sick man, and expresses 
grief and repentance: or again it is offered up in the 
name of those who recite it, and who thereby entreat 
the Lord to show mercy to him whom he is about to 
call to himself. 

lor 



108 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Then the priest enters^ holding in his hands the 
adorable Eucharist^ which is both protected by a canopy 
and covered by a rich veil ; for the Holy of holies, 
Jesns Christ himself, is coining for the last time to 
this child of his love, in order to prepare him to stand 
without fear before the tribunal of divine justice. 

When he enters the apartment, the priest says: 
^Teace be to this house ;^^ to which the assistants an- 
swer, ^^x\nd to all who dwell therein/' He then places 
the blessed Sacrament upon the table and kneels down 
to adore it. Afterward he sprinkles the sick person 
and the room with holy water, to chase away the un- 
clean spirit who, in these last moments, redoubles his 
efforts to disturb and torment souls. 

After reciting a prayer, the priest approaches the 
dying man, and addresses him in words of charity and 
encouragement, to prepare him for the Sacraments 
which he is about to receive, and which will further 
console, fortify, and sanctify him. Then taking in his 
hands the adorable Eucharist, which is to be the sick 
man's viaticum on his great journey to eternity, the 
priest utters these significant words : Behold the Lamb 
of God, behold him who taketh aivay the sins of the 
ivorld: And he adds, speaking in the name of the sick 
person, to excite in his heart to a greater degree true and 
sincere contrition and entire confidence in his Savior's 
merits : Lord, I am not ivorthy that thou shouldst enter 
under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be 
healed. After having thrice repeated these beautiful 
words, the priest says: Receive, brother, the Viaticum 
of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, May he pre- 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 109 

serve thee from the lolcked ene^ny and bring thee to life 
everlasting. 

Then he begins the prayers prescribed for the giving 
of Extreme Unction^ invoking the three Persons of the 
most Holy Trinity. He recommends the sick person to 
the Blessed Virgin and the saints who reign in heaven. 
Then he takes the holy oils^ and while anointing the 
eyes of the dying man^ repeats these touching words: 
Through this holy unction and of his most tender 
mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatsoever sins thou 
hast committed hy sight. Amen. 

In like manner he anoints each of the other senses, 
offering the same prayers to God^ begging him to par- 
don the dying man all the sins that he has committed 
by smelly taste, and touchy, and by his feet; entreating 
him also to pardon all his sins of thought, word, deed, 
and omission. In this way he prepares him to appear 
with calm confidence before that God who has just 
given himself to him as his food, and who is soon to 
be his Judge. 

After the administration of the Sacrament of Ex- 
treme Unction, the priest calls upon the sick man to 
make his profession of faith, and finally asks him if 
he sincerely pardons all who in any way may have 
wronged or grieved him; and if on his part he asks 
pardon of all to whom he may have caused any suf- 
fering. When the patient has answered these ques- 
tions, the priest exhorts him to place all his confidence 
in God, who will assuredly admit him to mercy and 
forgive him his sins, if he has confessed them with 
humility and repented of them from his heart. 



110 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

At last the ceremony is completed. Those who have 
been witnesses of it look at one another with troubled 
countenances^ without expressing their thoughts to the 
friend who is about to leave them. They gaze upon 
him with a look which seems to say: ^^We shall meet 
again in eternity.^' 

But what at this moment occupies the mind of the 
sick man? A^Tiat are his sentiments? What does he 
think of time ? What does he think of eternity ? What 
does he say to Jesus^ whom he possesses in his heart, 
and what does Jesus answer him? what a moment 
for a human being, a Christian, a religious^ wherein 
he finds himself between life and death, between time 
and eternity, and in union with a God who is now his 
Savior and is soon to be his Judge! 

APPLICATION 

Let us put ourselves in the place of this dying man^ 
to whom the last rites of the Church have been ad- 
ministered; and entering seriously into ourselves, let 
us scrutinize our thoughts and our dispositions. It is 
possible that at the hour of death we may not have 
the use of reason; but supposing the contrary, what 
shall we then think of the things of this world, of the 
creatures which we have suffered to acquire such do- 
minion over our hearts, of those trifles which so often 
retard us in the way of virtue, of those gratifications 
which we allow our senses, and which are so hurtful 
to our spiritual life? What shall we then think of the 
dispositions with which we make our confessions and 
communions? What shall we wish to have avoided? 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 111 

What shall we wish to have done? Let us for the 
future act as we shall then wish to have acted. 

Let us observe the precepts of the Gospel^ avoid sin 
with the greatest care^ do penance for the sins which 
we have committed^ keep ourselves in God's grace^ mor- 
tify^ subdue, and sacrifice our appetites. In a word^ 
let us live as true religious. Let us make each con- 
fession as if it were to be our last ; let us from time 
to time communicate as if receiving viaticum and 
about to appear before him who gives himself to us. 

B)^ this constant watchfulness and by these pious 
practices we shall prepare to receive the last Sacra- 
ments worthily, to derive abundant fruit from them, 
and secure for ourselves the inestimable grace of a 
holy death. 

PKAYEE 

Behold me prostrate at thy feet^ my God^ to beg 
of thee the grace of receiving the last Sacraments with 
holy dispositions. Grant that the anointing of my 
senses may purify them^ sanctify them, and render me 
worthy to be admitted at the very moment of death 
among the number of thy elect. 

my adorable Savior, I entreat thee by all thou 
didst suffer for my salvation, grant me the grace of 
sincerely bewailing my sins and of doing condign pen- 
ance for them, that when for the last time thy minister 
shall give me thy adorable Body and Blood, I may re- 
ceive thee worthily and thus be prepared to appear 
before thee. This I beg of thee, by thy infinite merits 



113 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

and through the intercession of Marv, my loving 
Mother. 

Resume, page 172. 

Let "US consider what takes place when the last sacra- 
ments are administered. 

1. All is prepared in the sick person^s room. 

2. The priest;, carrying the holy Viaticum^ comes to 
him^, accompanied by some pious persons. 

3. He blesses him and speaks to him feelingly. 

4. He gives him the holy Communion as viaticum 
for the journey to eternity. 

5. He anoints each of his sense-organs with the holy 
chrism. 

What ought the thoughts of the sick person to be? 
— What shall ours be? 

1. Whsit shall we then think of the things of this 
world ? 

2. What shall we think of the frivolities which so 
often stopped us in the practice of virtue? 

3. What shall we think of the gratification we may 
have given to our senses ? 

4. What shall we think of the sacraments that we 
have received during life? 

5. What shall we think of the state of our con- 
science ? 

Let us think of this now^ and hasten to reform our 
conduct. 



NINETEENTH MEDITATION 

RECOMMENDATION OF THE SOUL 

Go forth, O Christian soul, from this world. — Prayer of 
the Church. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us go in spirit to the bedside of a dying man, 
and let us assist with religious recollection at this 
important event which is to decide the eternal lot of 
an immortal soul. Let us listen to the minister of the 
Churchy or, in his absence, to some pious person, who, 
after invoking the adorable Trinitj^, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, as well as the Saints who enjoy eternal 
felicity, beseeches Jesus Christ, by the merits of his 
death, resurrection, and ascension, to have pity on him 
who is in his agony, and show him mercy. 

Turning to the dying man, the priest addresses him 
in these touching words: "Go forth from this world, 
Christian soul, purchased by the precious blood of 
Jesus Christ, sanctified by the waters of baptism and 
nourished by the adorable body of thy Savior. Go 
forth in the name of the Father who created thee to 
his own image, to make thee eternally happy in heaven. 
Go forth in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the liv- 
ing God, who for thy sake suffered a painful death, and 
who like a tender friend waits upon thee, rather to 

113 



114 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

recompense than to judge thee. Go forth in the name 
of the Holy Ghost^ who sanctified thee by the abund- 
ance of his blessings and graces. 

^^We pray, Christian soul, that when thou leavest 
the body which has served thee as an instrument in 
the practice of virtue and the advancement of the glory 
of God, thou mayst be received into the heavenly Jeru- 
salem; that the enemies of thy salvation may be scat- 
tered, and may have no power to attack thee who hast 
been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ; 
that our divine Savior who has deigned to die for thee 
may receive thee into the mansions of his glory; that 
the Good Shepherd, who never suffers any sheep to be 
lost that sincereh^ wish to belong to him, may say to 
thee as he did to the good thief ^ This day thou shall he 
with me in paradise^ 

At last, addressing himself directly to God, the priest 
says: ^'^O merciful God, gracious God, God^ who, 
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
blottest out the sins of the penitent, and graciousl)^ 
remittest the guilt of past offences ; look favorably upon 
this thy servant, and in thy mercy hear him as he 
craves, with heartfelt confession, the remission of all 
his sins. Eenew within him, most loving Father, 
whatsoever hath been corrupted through human frailty, 
or violated through the deceit of the devil. . . . Have 
pity. Lord, on his groanings; have pity on his tears; 
and admit him, who hath no hope save in thy mercy, to 
the Sacrament of thy reconciliation.^' 

Then turning to the dying man, the priest says : ''1 
commend thee to Almighty God, dearly beloved brother, 
and commit thee to him whose creature thou art; that 
^Luke xxiii. 43. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 115 

when thou shalt have paid the debt of humanity pass- 
ing through death, thou mayest return to thy Maker, 
who formed thee from the dust of the earth. When, 
tlierefore, thy soul goeth forth from thy body^, may the 
olorious company of Angels meet thee; may the council 
of the Apostles who shall judge the world greet thee; 
may the triumphant army of white-robed Martyrs come 
out to welcome thee; may the band of shining Con- 
fessors, crowned with lilieS;, encircle thee ; may the choir 
of joyous Virgins receive thee; and unto the bosom of 
blessed rest may the embrace of the Patriarchs clasp 
thee; gentle and joyful may the face of Jesus Christ 
appear to thee^ and may he award thee a place among 
those who stand before him forever/'"^ 

The priest begs God to succor the soul of his servant, 
and deliver it from all danger, as he delivered Henoch 
and Elias from death^, Noe from the Deluge, Abraham 
from the land of the Chaldeans, Job from his suffer- 
ings, Isaac from the hands of his father. Lot from the 
destruction of Sodom^ Moses from Pharaoh, Daniel 
from the lions^ den, Susannah from her accusers, and 
St. Peter and St. Paul from their chains. Then the 
witnesses of the last moments of the dying man add: 
^^^cknowledge, Lord, thy creature, made not by 
strange gods, but by thee, the only living and true God ; 
for there is no other God beside thee, and none that 
doeth according to thy works. Make glad his soul, 
Lord, with thy presence, and remember not his old sins, 
and the excesses which wrath or heat of evil desire may 
have aroused. For though he has sinned, he has not 
denied the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; 
but has believed, and has had zeal for God, and has 
^Version of Baltimore Manual of Prayers. 



116 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 

faithfullj^ worshipped God;, the Creator of all things. 
"Remember not^ Lord^ we beseech thee^ the sins of 
his yonth^ nor his ignorance; bnt^ according to thy 
great mercy^ be mindful of him in the brightness of 
thy glory/'' 

APPLICATION 

What will be our sentiments when^ attacked by some 
mortal sickness^ we shall see some of our community^ 
with sorrowful countenance gather around our bed, 
present the crucifix to us to kiss^ offer us holy water, 
and beg us to unite with them in mind and heart, and 
in the prayers which they are about to offer to heaven in 
our behalf ? What shall we then think of the world, its 
riches and pleasures, when told that we must soon quit 
all forever? What shall we think of that which is now 
perhaps the only object of our desires, although we are 
fully aware of the vanity of everything that is not God, 
or worthy of God? How shall we then wish to have 
practised the virtues of our state, and to have fulfilled 
the duties of our profession? Shall we not wish to 
have acted with greater perfection, with more faith, 
more devotedness, more earnestness than we now mani- 
fest? 

Let us seriously and honestlj^ examine ourselves, and 
judge whether our soul will hear with pleasure the in- 
vitation to depart from this world ; whether, when those 
round our bed speak to us of Gqd the Father, who 
created us, God the Son, who redeem.ed us, and God the 
Holy Ghost, who sanctified us, we shall be able to give 
^Baltimore Manual. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 117 

testimony that we have done the will of the Father, 
profited by the merits of the Son, and followed the in- 
spirations of the Holy Ghost; whether the prayers, 
which, during life, we shall have offered to Mary, will 
have been such as to assure us at this terrible moment 
the protection of our loving Mother. 

Since it will be so consoling in our last moments 
to have practised virtue during life, let us now make 
this our principal, or rather, our only study. Let 
us detach our hearts from everything in this world, and 
let us cherish no affection but for the things of heaven. 
Let us live as we should then wish to have lived, that 
is to say, with fervor and regularity. Let us earnestly 
recommend our departure from this world to the Blessed 
Virgin and St. Joseph, and let us with this intention, 
frequently address our prayers to them. Let us labor 
seriously to correct our faults; let us never forget that, 
being religious, we should unceasingly aim at per- 
fection. Let us frequently, in imagination, place our- 
selves face to face with death, and ask ourselves whether 
we are ready to die. 

Happy they who thus act ! They experience only 
peace and joy when the minister of God, standing be- 
side their dying bed, sa}'s: "Depart from this world, 
Christian soul ; go to Jesus Christ who awaits thee.'^ 

PEAYEE 

Lord Jesus Christ, I implore thy clemency by thy 
Passion and Death. grant, I beseech thee, that, 
corresponding to the graces which thou dost unceasingly 
lavish upon me, I may be able to say with thee, Father, 



118 MEDITATIONS OK" OUR LAST END 

into thy hands I commend my spirit,^ adorable 
Savior, by all thou didst endure for me, I beg of thee 
not to abandon me in that moment when I shall end 
my exile. I implore thee in thy mercy, in the name 
of Mary, my tender Mother, in the name of thy angels 
and saints, take pity on my soul; and when at last 
it shall appear before thee, deign to receive it with 
favor and to admit it into heaven, there to celebrate 
forever thy boundless mercy. 

Resume, page 173. 

Let us assist, in spirit, at the recitation of the pray- 
ers for the recommendation of the departing soul. 

1'. The priest, or the pious person who presides, in- 
vokes the Blessed Trinity and all the saints. 

2. He implores Jesus to have pity upon the sick 
person. 

3. To the latter he addresses the words: ^^Depart 
from this world, Christian soul.^^ 

4. He implores God to look upon him with com- 
passion. 

5. The faithful present unite with him in imploring 
the same grace. 

Let us consider that one day it shall be so with us. 
— Do we wish to hear with joy these words: 
^^Depart from this world. Christian souF^? 

1. Let us detach ourselves from everything here 
below. 

2. Let us live in fervor and regularity. 

3. Let us recommend our last moments to the Blessed 
Virgin and St. Joseph. 

4. Let us labor to correct our faults. 

5. Let us often, in thought, place ourselves face to 
face with death, and ask ourselves if we are ready to 
die. 

^Luke xxiii. 46. 



TWENTIETH MEDITATION 

THE HOLY LONGING FOR DEATH 

Wo is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! — Ps. cxix. 5. 

Wo is me, that my sojourning is prolonged!^ cried 
out the royal Prophet. I desire, said St. Paul^ to he 
dissolved, and to he with Christ^ Such are also the 
longings of every soul inflamed with the desire of see- 
ing and possessing its God. This desire produces in it 
a holy languor at seeing itself still separated from him 
who is the sole object of its affections^ and a pleasing 
emotion that impels it to its Beloved^, whom it always 
looks upon as its Sovereign Good and Last End, and 
to whom it wishes to be united forever. 

How many saints have felt this salutary desire of 
death ! How often have they said, with the great Apos- 
tle: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,^ 
It was not really weariness, nor yet disgust of this life 
of misery that gave rise to such sentiments; but rather 
an ardent love for God, from whom they could not 
without the bitterest grief endure to be separated. 

Such should be the desire of all who know what earth 
is and who believe in heaven. Is it not natural for a 
traveller to long for the end of his journey, for a pris- 
oner to look forward to his release from captivity, for 

^Ps. cxix. 5. ^pijiijp i 2.3. ^Philip, i. 21. 

119 



120 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST EXD 

an exile to sigh for his native country^ for a child to 
be impatient to see again a good father and a loving 
mother from whom it has long been separated? 

Can a soul that knows and loves God^ and knows 
also that it can find happiness only in possessing him, 
help longing for death as the only means by which it 
can secure this possession? Can a soul that reflects 
on the miseries of this life^ and its o^\ti momentary 
danger of being lost^ be other than anxious to be de- 
livered from them^ and see its salvation placed beyond 
peril? Can a soul that knows its liability to commit 
new faults avoid crying out^ with St. Paul : Who shall 
deliver me from the body of this death?^ Can it help 
feeling an ardent and vehement desire to be admitted 
into the heavenly Jerusalem? 

how many motives has not the Christian to look 
upon death with complacency ! Indeed^ how can he love 
a world in which he is forced to witness so many in- 
sults offered to God^ his adorable Savior? Can a child 
feel happy in a country where outrages^, in word and 
deed^ are constantly committed against a father whom 
it tenderly loves? How then^ can the Christian love a 
life which only prolongs his exile? Is he not in this 
worlds like the Jews in the land of captivity, who cried 
out : How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a 
strange landf Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we 
sat and wept when we remembered Sion.^ It is indeed 
true that a soul penetrated with lively faith finds little 
pleasure on this earth, and that death is consoling to 
him who longs to possess what eye hath not seen, nor 

^Rom. vii. 24. -Ps. exxxvi. 4. 'Ps. cxxvi. 1. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 121 

ear hath heard, neither hath it entered into the heart 
of man to conceived 

Death is^, indeed^ desirable to him who looks tipon 
God as his Father; who knows the happiness of being 
inseparably united to him. Therefore^ does the fer- 
vent Christian often exclaim with the pious author of 
the "Imitation:'^ *^^0 most happy mansion of the su- 
pernal city! most bright day of eternity^ which no 
night ever obscureth^ but which the Sovereign Truth 
always enlighteneth ? Day always joyful, always se- 
cure, and never changing its state for the contrary! 
that this day would shine forth, and that all these 
temporal things would come to an end ! 

^^It shineth indeed, upon the Saints, resplendent mth 
everlasting brightness ; but to us pilgrims upon earth it 
is seen only as afar off and through a glass. The citi- 
zens of heaven know how joyful that day is; but we 
poor exiled children of Eve mourn that this, our day, 
is bitter and tedious. 

^^The days of this life are short and evil, full of 
griefs and distresses. ... Oh ! when will there be 
an end of these evils? When shall I be set at liberty 
from the wretched slavery of vice? . . . When, 
Lord, shall I think of thee alone? When shall I fully 
rejoice in thee? When shall I be without any impedi- 
ment in true liberty, without any grievance of mind or 
body? ... good Jesus, when shall I stand 
to behold thee? When shall I contemplate the glory 
of thy kingdom ? When wilt thou be all in all to me ? 
When shall I be with thee in thy kingdom, which 
thou hast prepared for thy beloved from all eternity.^'' 
^1 Cor. ii. 9. ^gj^. iii. Chap, xlviii. 



122 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

APPLICATION 

Of what use is it to live long^ says the author of the 
"Imitation/^ when we advance so little? A long life 
does not always amend us ; nay, oftentimes it doth rath- 
er augment our guilt/ Why, then, do we so long for it ? 
x^ssuredly, it would be far better to live the life of the 
saints for a few years, than to attain extreme old age 
and live neglectful of what concerns our salvation and 
perfection. 

At every hour of the day St. Teresa was accustomed 
to inflame her heart with a greater desire for heaven, 
by saying to herself, ^"^Courage, my soul, behold we are 
one hour nearer eternity V^ Thus, also, should Ave often 
address ourselves, and thereby both detach our hearts 
from earth, and excite ourselves to labor more earnestly 
for our sanctification. 

In the afflictions and trials of life, let us reflect that 
we are drawdng near the term of our deliverance and 
that we shall soon enter into glory. This thought will 
prove a great consolation to us, for death is, indeed, a 
gain to him who has lived holily. Like King David, 
he rejoices at the thought that he will soon go into the 
house of his Lord, and with St. Ignatius he exclaims: 
^^0 how contemptible earth appears, when I look up to 
heaven !'^ 

If we have lively faith and firm confidence, if our 
life has been holy, we shall entertain the same senti- 
ments. We shall envy the lot of those who die in the 
Lord, and to secure this inestimable advantage to our- 
selves we will, like them, become detached from the 
^Bk. I. Chap, xxiii. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 123 

things of earthy and seek only the kingdom of God and 
his justice^ Like them, we shall despise all that passes 
with time, and love only what lasts for eternity. Like 
them, we will say to onr Savior, ^^Come, adorable Jesus, 
come and take possession of a soul that belongs to 
thee by so many titles, a soul that loves thee and 
fears a long life, because while it remains united to 
the body it is, alas ! capable of offending thee. Di- 
vine Master, to those who love thee, how burdensome 
it is to live in this w^orld always exposed to the danger 
of losing thy grace, and oppressed with the weight of 
their own depraved appetites! 

PEAYER 



Jesus, my adorable Savior, my soul languishes with 
desire to see thee and be united to thee forever. I 
beg of thee, then, to put an end to its sufferings, and 
deliver it from this land of exile, where, far removed 
from thee, it sighs continually for thy presence. 

Wilt thou delay long, my dear Jesus ? My heart for- 
ever sighs after thee, for what can I love on earth, or 
desire in heaven, but thee, my God, the Beloved 
of my soul? Grant that I may soon depart from this 
world to behold thee in heaven, for thou art the Su- 
preme Beauty, who alone canst give me perfect happi- 
ness. Break, Lord, the bonds that still unite me to 
earth; destroy this house of clay that holds my soul 
captive, and deign to put me in possession of thy 
eternal inheritance. 

^Matt. vi. 3.3. 



124 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

Resume, page 173. 

The words of the royal prophet express a feeling 
common to all the servants of God. All desired to die^ 
in order to possess God. 

1. They understood what onr miseries are here be- 
low. 

2. They considered themselves as exiles^ as pris; 
oners. 

3. In their eyes death was only a liberator whose 
coming they ardently desired. 

4. Faith showed them the blessings to be enjoyed 
hereafter. 

5. Their hearts were already in heaven; why should 
they not be impatient to go and dwell there ? 

— Like the saints : 

1. Let us detach ourselves from life. 

2. Let us realize its many miseries. 

3. Let us not dread its end. 

4. Confiding in Jesus Christy let us accept death with 
resignation^ if not with joy. 

5. Let us excite in our hearts the most ardent de- 
sire of heaven^, saying, with the Apostle : "I desire to be 
dissolved and to be with Christ.^^ 



TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION 

STATE OF THE BODY AFTER DEATH 

Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. — Gen. iii. 19. 

COXSIDEEATION 

Let us gO;, in imagination^ to the chamber of a man 
who has jnst expired;, and gaze upon his corpse, 
stretched motionless upon the bed. He has scarcely 
breathed his last sigh, and yet a sad change is already 
taking place. His head droops, and is inclined to one 
side; his hair is dishevelled, and still bathed in the 
sweat of his agony; his eyes are sunken, his cheeks 
wasted, his lips livid ; his countenance, at first colorless, 
gradually assumes a greenish hue, that announces the 
beginning of decomposition. All present shudder on 
beholding him; none can look on him mth a tranquil, 
unaltered countenance. 

But this is only the first outline of a picture that 
hourly becomes more frightful and revolting. A few 
hours have scarcely gone by when the stench from his 
body becomes insupportable. To preserve the house 
from infection, and to save the inmates from fatal con- 
sequences, it is necessary to air the rooms, to open 
the doors and windows, to burn perfumes, and adopt 

125 



126 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

a thousand precautions. At last^ even the friends of 
the dead man make haste to get rid of an object which 
is not less dangerous than it is hideous and revolting. 

Alread)'^ notice of his death has been registered. The 
coffin is brought^ and the funeral bells ring to announce 
that this man^ however great^, rich;, or learned, must 
depart from his home, never to re-enter it; and that 
after a short interval passed at the foot of the altar, 
his only habitation will be the ground. Soon the pro- 
cession arrives at the place of burial. The grave, sanc- 
tified by the blessing of the Church, receives the victim 
of death, and encloses him within its bosom. After 
some prayers and a few expressions of regret, more or 
less sincere, each of those present bids adieu to the 
deceased and retires; all is now over for him in this 
world. 

But to give us a more perfect idea of the fate of the 
body after death, let us visit the corpse some days after 
it has been laid in the earth. Let us remove the clay 
that covers it, and gaze upon the sight before us. The 
body is livid, but it soon turns black, and is covered 
with a sort of white froth. From this issues a gluti- 
nous matter which is absorbed by the wood, then filters 
into the ground, and there becomes the food of a mul- 
titude of worms. The cheeks are decomposing; the 
flesh is falling away, and disclosing the bones ; the arms 
and legs are becoming detached from their sockets, and 
falling to pieces. Last of all, there remains only a 
hideous and fragmentary skeleton, which is soon de- 
composed, becoming in the language of Bossuet, ^^a 
something, I know not what, a thing that has no name 
in any language.^^ God, to what a condition is the 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 127 

votary of pleasure reduced who gave everything to his 
body and refused everything to his soul? Behold that 
body now^ a mass of filth and corruption^ an ob- 
ject of horror to the living. 

Behold the remains of the sensualist who^ to gratify 
his body, stained his soul with a thousand crimes ; or of 
the man of good cheer, who sat down every day to a 
table loaded with exquisite viands, while he refused to 
succor the needy, lea^dng them, so to say, to die of 
hunger under his very eyes. Behold now the body of 
the vain man who, giving no thought to the nakedness 
of his soul, busied himself only with adorning a victim 
that death was soon to immolate; or that of the proud 
man who could endure no humiliation, however trivial, 
without bursting into a rage. See the present state 
of the body of that ambitious man, who thought only 
of exalting himself in the world; often even at the 
expense of justice and honor. See the condition of the 
avaricious man^s body, who made an idol of his fortune, 
and refused his superabundance to the poor of Jesus 
Christ. A few boards that enclose his remains, the 
worms that devour his flesh, the curses that perhaps 
cling to his memory, are all that is left of him and 
his treasures. 

Behold the fate that awaits the body of every man — 
dust and worms ! The just man as well as the sinner 
must submit to this; but when viewed from the stand- 
point of faith, how different is the destiny of each ! 
The body of the saint decomposes and crumbles into 
dust; but even in that state it is a precious object, a 
relic worthy of respect and honor, a deposit which is 
entrusted for a time indeed to the earth, but which the 



128 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

angels respect and God himself looks upon with com- 
placency. 

The body of the reprobate, on the other hand, is to 
the eyes of faith, still more than to those of nature, 
an object of unspeakable horror. God and his angels 
look upon it as the remains of one that is condemned to 
hell, a victim that is destined to eternal flames, an 
object of anger and malediction, a creature that has 
been so perverted from its end as to become an instru- 
ment of sin. This body that was flattered, pampered, 
and idolized ujoon earth, is destined to be one day the 
habitation of the wicked soul that used it for guilty 
purposes, and is then to be cast into that furnace of 
inextinguishable fire, kindled by divine anger ! Yes, a 
day of resurrection Avill come, and then the soul of the 
sinner, even more hideous than his body into which it 
will enter as into a fearful prison, will henceforth suffer 
with it that miserable eternity which it had already 
begun to experience alone. 

APPLICATION' 

There will, then, come a day, and that day is not 
far distant, when I also shall die. My body, forsaken 
by my soul, shall lie motionless; my eyes shall see no 
more ; my ears shall hear no more ; my hands shall work 
no more ; my tongue shall speak no more ; my feet shall 
no longer bear me from place to place. Soon afterward, 
my corpse shall undergo a frightful transformation ; my 
countenance shall become an object of horror; an in- 
supportable exhalation shall drive away my friends and 
kindred, and lastly, my limbs shall crumble, and be- 
come the food of worms. Oh ! shall I then wi&h to have 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUI^ lAST EXD 1-9 

idolized this body? to have taken so much care of it? 
to have made myself its slave^, and sacrificed my soul 
for it? 

"Ah r^ said a great saint while meditating among the 
tombstones, '^'^if God permitted the dead to tell me what 
they now think of the pleasures and riches of the world, 
what they think of mortification and penance, of hum- 
ble, sincere and contrite confession, how profitable 
would their lessons be, how eloquent their language V^ 

But do not faith and reason tell us enough on all 
these subjects? Let us listen to them, and we shall 
force ourselves to practise virtue, which alone can con- 
stitute our happiness. Xo doubt, the body will com- 
plain of a penitential life, but let it complain. We 
can address it as St. Francis did his, while loading it 
with austerities: "Courage, my bod}^ we shall go to- 
gether to Paradise.^^ 

PEAYEE 

Worms and dust ! Behold, God, the fate of my 
body, which has so frequently been an instrument of 
my soul in its rebellion against thy holy law. I con- 
fess that it deserves to be humbled and reduced to 
the dust whence it was formed, but I entreat thee to 
remember, Lord, that it is the work of thy hands; 
that by baptism it was consecrated to thee; that often, 
my Divine Eedeemer, it was the living tabernacle of 
thy body and blood; and that it is destined to rise 
again in glory. Grant, my Jesus, that after having 
been subjected to the penalty imposed upon all men, 
after having remained in the dust of the tomb till the 



130 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

day of judgment^ it may rise again gloriouS;, and go 
with my sonl in triumph^ to enjoy the repose which 
thou hast merited for thy elect. 

Resume, page 174. 

To what a state is the body of man reduced after 
death ! 

1. At the moment of his last sigh it is already 
frightful to behold. We cannot without shuddering 
consider his discolored cheeks^ his sunken eyes, his livid 
lips. 

2. Some hours later it begins to decompose and to 
spread infection far and wide. 

3. It is hidden from the sight, it is placed in a 
coffin. 

4. It is then carried to the grave^ where the work 
of death is finished. 

5. Consider the horrors of the tomb ! The flesh is 
soon devoured by worms, and only a hideous skeleton 
remains. 

— Let us then comprehend : 

1. That it is folly to take so much care of what must 
soon perish. 

2. That they are wise who sacrifice the body to save 
the soul. 

3. That all is vanity, except to love and serve God. 

4. That it is necessary to practise penance. 

5. That we should now detach ourselves from all 
things, since death is to deprive us of all. 



TWENTY-SECOND MEDITATION 
STATE OF A SOUL THAT AWAITS JUDGMENT 

For what shall I do when God shall rise to judge? and 
when he shall examine, what shall I answer him? — Job 

xxxi. 14. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let lis picture to ourselves a man accused of some 
crime^ shut up in a narrow cell^ whilst human justice 
is preparing for his trial. What are his thoughts^ his 
fears, his anxieties, while awaiting the day that must 
decide his fate? At last that day comes, the unhappy 
man hears the bolts of his prison door shot back; the 
door opens, attendants seize him and hurry him off to 
the place of trial. 

what a sight there meets his eyes ! He beholds 
the judge seated on his tribunal; the prosecutor holds 
the indictment in his hand; the jury are called to pro- 
nounce upon the guilt of the prisoner; the witnesses 
are there too, ready to disclose everything that can 
make him appear guilty. At this sight he shudders and 
trembles; he has to be led, perhaps even to be carried 
to the dock, where he is exposed to the gaze of thousands 
of spectators, many of whom seem to demand a speedy 
verdict of guilty. 

But this is not all; the witnesses are questioned, the 

131 



132 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

charges of the indictment are read in his hearing; 
everything gives him reason to fear a severe sentence. 
At last the trial is ended; the judges retire, and the 
jury deliberate. After a time the jury return, bringing 
in a verdict of guilty; the judge administers the law, 
and the greatest silence prevails throughout the as- 
sembly while the sentence is pronounced. 

what feelings then surge in the soul of the cul- 
prit ! What fear ! What agony ! A pallor overspreads 
his countenance, his heart beats fast, his body trembles 
convulsively, betraying the agitation of his mind; he 
is half dead with fear and shame. Great God! what 
a situation! 

And yet this wretchedness is but a feeble image of 
what the sinner experiences whose soul is about to ap- 
pear before its Sovereign Judge. Already he seems 
to see his Judge seated upon his tribunal, accompanied 
by multitudes of angels, the faithful ministers of his 
vengeance. He seems to see the devils ready to accuse 
him, and with them are associated all those whom he 
has drawn into sin. His own conscience is his most 
formidable accuser. He thinks of his angel guardian, 
but he fears that this heavenly spirit, whose inspira- 
tions he has so often rejected, has nothing to plead 
in his behalf. 

He knows that for him it is a question not merely 
of guilt, or of transitory punishment, which at the most 
will extend over a life-time; but of a sentence that 
will last for eternity, of a sentence that will determine 
his endless happiness or misery; and therefore he is 
unspeakably more anxious than the criminal about to 
be condemned by an earthly judge. The latter may 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 133 

find consolation in the thought that it is in liis power 
to appeal to another tribunal or that he may possibly 
obtain pardon^ but at the tribunal of God there is no 
such possibility. From the sentence there passed there 
is no appeal; nor is there the slightest hope that the 
condemnation there uttered will ever be reversed. 

It is generally thought that the tremblings and con- 
vulsions of the agonizing are merely the effects of phy- 
sical suffering; but may it not be that they also arise 
from apprehension of the judgments of God? Who 
can tell the sentiments of a soul when it realizes that it 
must almost immediately be launched into eternity? 
when it says to itself^ ^'^I must soon appear before the 
Sovereign Judge to render an account of my actions. 
What is the state of my conscience ? Am I in the state 
of grace? Alas! I am compelled to acknowledge that 
I am stained with many sins. Moreover, does not 
ever}i;hing rise up against me to accuse me before thee, 
my Sovereign Master? Who will plead my cause at 
thy terrible tribunal? Soon I shall hear the sentence 
that will fix my doom for eternity, and I know not that 
the sentence will not be one of condemnation.^^ 

In such considerations there is enough to chill the 
blood of w^hoever reflects upon them, as did St. Jerome. 
In spite of his penitential life, this saint was penetrated 
with the fear of judgment. "I shudder, Lord/' said 
he, "^Vhen I call to mind that open book in which my 
sentence is written in indelible characters ; when I think 
of that balance which thou boldest in thy hand, one 
side of which contains my sins, alas, far too numerous, 
and the other, my few and imperfect \drtues. Thy arm, 
Lord, is about to raise the balance, and according to 



134 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

whichsoever side it will incline, wilt thoii pronounce 
the sentence of eternal happiness or eternal woe/' 

applications" 

Like this great saint, let ns dread the judgment 
which we must undergo, and let us do all that we can 
to make it favorable. Let us interest our Judge him- 
self in our behalf. Let us be faithful servants of Jesus 
Christ, filled with zeal for his glor}^, living onh^ to ac- 
complish his will, and devoting ourselves to him in the 
person of our Brothers and our pupils ; for assuredly we 
shall then find favor in his eyes on the great day of 
justice. 

Let us anticipate our accusers by now accusing our- 
selves with tlie necessary dispositions at the tribunal of 
penance of whatever we have done amiss in the past ; 
and by avoiding sin with the utmost care for the fu- 
ture. Let us resist the devil, and make no other than 
a holy use of earthly things; and neither they, nor the 
devil, shall rise in judgment against us. 

Let us settle our conscience, for it is chiefly by its 
testimony that we shall be justified or condemned. Does 
it reproach us with some fault ? Let us hasten to satisfy 
it whilst we are still in this life, lest hereafter it de- 
liver us up to the Sovereign Judge. This is what Christ 
himself warns us to do, so anxious is he to bless us on 
that last day. 

According to the recommendation of the apostle, let 
us judge ourselves and we shall not be judged. Pros- 
trate in spirit before this terrible tribunal, and under 
the eyes of this all-seeing, inflexible Judge, let us search 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 135 

the innermost recesses of our hearts ; let ns weigh in the 
scales of divine justice all our thoughts^ desires^, and 
actions. Let us examine ourselves with salutary sever- 
ity^ putting far away all self love and whatever else 
might blind us to our true condition. Let us acknowl- 
edge and condemn our faults^ and do worthy penance 
for them. By fidelity to these practices^ we shall avoid 
the sentence of reprobation, and merit an everlasting 
blessing. 

PEAYER 



I will devote myself, my God, to prepare for thy 
sentence of judgment. Spirits of darkness and my 
own cowardice have hitherto often misled me, making 
abortive all my resolutions of amendment, formed at 
the thought of thy justice. I will no more say: '^^To- 
morrow, to-morrow,^^ but, ^^'^This very instant.^^ From 
this moment I will begin seriously to prepare for this 
judgment. From this moment I will judge myself 
with all severity ; then may I hope that thou wilt judge 
me favorably. 

But, Lord, thou knowest how disposed I am to de- 
ceive myself and conceal my faults from myself. En- 
lighten me, then, I beseech thee with thy divine light; 
and teach me to know myself as thou knowest me. 
Grant that after having discovered all within me that 
is deserving of condemnation, I may burst asunder the 
chains that bind me, so that I may look forward with 
filial confidence to the hour when thou wilt summon 
me before thy supreme tribunal. 



136 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 

Resume, page 174. 

The anxiety of a person accused^ when about to ap- 
pear before a tribunal is nothing in comparison to 
that of a sonl when presenting itself before the Sov- 
ereign Judge. 

Let us consider it as it asks itself: 

1. Before whom am I to appear? 

2. In what state is my conscience? Am I free from 
sin? Am I guilty? 

3. What will my accusers testify against me? 

4. ^^Hiat will my advocates say for me? Will my 
guardian angel plead my cause? 

5. What sentence will be pronounced upon me? 
• — Do we wish to avoid anxiety? 

1. Let us by our works render our Judge favorable. 

2. Let us avoid sin^ and thus disarm our accusers. 

3. Let us satisfy our conscience, for it is upon its 
testimony that we shall be justified or condemned. 

4. Let us do penance for our sins. 

5. Let US judge ourselves, and, according to the 
words of Saint Paul^ we shall not be judged. 



TWENTY-THIRD MEDITATION 
THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 

It is appointed for men once to die, and after this tlie 
judgment. — Heb. ix. 27. 

COXSIDERATION 

Scarcely has man breathed his last^, when his soul ap- 
pears before God to render an account of all his actions^ 
and to undergo a judgment which, being made by God 
himself, will be the most exact, the most circumstan- 
tial, and the most rigorous that it is possible to con- 
ceive. 

Then even our good works will be examined as to 
whether they were done in the time and place and 
under the circumstances that God required, and wheth- 
er they were accompanied by attention^ fervor, and 
other suitable dispositions. Then also our affections 
and the desires of our hearts, the acts of the will, and 
the wanderings of the imagination, will be scrutinized ; 
as also the use we have made of our senses — our sight, 
hearing, smell, taste and touch. In a word, all sins 
will be made manifest to us. Sins of the eyes, by 
dangerous and perhaps criminal looks ; sins of the taste, 
by over-indulgence in food or by excessive delicacy as 
to its quality, perhaps even by gluttony; sins of the 
hands, by prohibited actions of greater or less guilt; 

137 



138 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sins of the tongue^ not only by idle words^ but by words 
contrary to charity^ truth-, and the edification which 
we owe our neighbor. 

God^ what an examination to undergo^ what an 
account to render ! The conduct of our whole life 
must be compared with the duties of our state and pro- 
fession^ with the commandments of God and the 
Church. The soul must answer all the questions ad- 
dressed to it on these points. What a number of faults 
and omissions^ now considered triflings will then be 
looked upon as very serious^ because the soul will then 
see them as God himself sees them! 

Before its eyes will be displayed the enormity of the 
capital sins — pride^, covetousness^ lust;, anger^ gluttony^ 
envy, and sloth ; and it will be forced to confess against 
which of these it has sinned, and to what extent. 

But this is not all; for the soul must be examined 
not only as to the graces with which it has been favored, 
but also as to those additional graces which it would 
have received had it corresponded to the former; the 
grace of baptism by which it was cleansed from original 
sin, clothed in the robe of innocence, and made a 
participator in the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ ; 
the grace of a Christian education, and all the means 
of salvation consequent thereon; the grace of first 
communion, by which Christ communicated himself to 
it in so intimate a manner ; the graces of so many other 
communions, by which it might in a sense have been 
changed into its Lord; the graces of so many confes- 
sions restoring it to the friendship of God, and once 
more placing it in the way of salvation; the grace also 
of confirmation, which in the designs of the Lord was 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 139 

intended to make it strong and courageous, and to de- 
fend it against all the attacks of its enemies ; the grace 
of vocation to the religious life, by which God from 
among so many others called it from the world, to ad- 
mit it to the closest intimacy with himself, to lead it 
to perfection and enable it to acquire countless merits 
for heaven, to this end heaping upon it the most signal 
favors. Alas ! perhaps instead of entering into the 
views of God it suffered itself to be overcome by in- 
dolence, tepidity, and indifference ; perhaps it buried its 
talent, instead of turning it to account; perhaps it 
added infidelity to infidelity, till it could no longer 
hope for a favorable sentence. 

Last of all come those who bear witness against this 
soul. First appears the devil, who redoubles his efforts 
not to lose his prey, and represents it as more guilty 
than it really is. Then its angel guardian displays all 
his zeal in its favor if it be innocent; but if otherwise, 
he bitterly reproaches it for its abuse of his charitable 
solicitude. 

But the most inexorable of all its accusers is its 
own conscience; that conscience which, like a vigilant 
sentinel, had given it w^arning on so many occasions, 
and repeated to it the words of the holy precursor to 
Herod: ^"^TVTiat thou dost is not lawful;" those senti- 
ments of remorse which had so often recalled it to its 
duty, brought it to the tribunal of penance, to seek for- 
giveness, to correct its faults and to strive to live a 
more holy life. What a frightful position for this soul 
if it be guilty ! for it is constrained to accuse itself, and 
utter its own condemnation. What remains for it after 
this terrible examination, but to await the irrevocable 



140 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sentence? what reason has the Church to call this 
day, a day of wraths a day of fear and terror.^ 

APPLICATION 

Let "US anticipate the coming of that day, and make 
it a day of gladness. With this view, lest death surprise 
us when unprepared, let us put our conscience in or- 
der. ^"^From what great danger mayst thou free thy- 
self, from what great fear be rescued,^^ exclaims the 
pious author of the "Imitation,^^ "if only thou wouldst 
be always fearful and looking for death !'^^ If we wish 
then, to secure a favorable sentence from Jesus Christ, 
let us follow the advice of the apostle, and judge our- 
selves/ that is to say, let us carefully examine our 
conscience, and take the means necessary to amend 
whatever we find therein deserving of blame. 

Let us carefully scrutinize our conduct, to discover 
whether there is anj^thing there that might be to us a 
source of uneasiness. I passed by the field of the sloth- 
ful man, and hy the vineyard of the foolish man; and 
behold, it ivas all filled with nettles; and thorns had 
covered the face thereof, and the stone tuall was broken 
down;* These words give us a vivid picture of the 
state of those who do not examine their consciences; 
for it is by such examination we discover the root of 
our vices, or pluck them up as soon as they appear, and 
thus prevent bad habits from becoming a second nature 
to us. Let us frequently consider that examination of 
conscience is the means best suited to calm our minds 

^Office of the Dead. ^^i^ j Chap, xxiii. n Cor. xi. 31. 
*Prov. xxiv. 30, 31. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 141 

and prevent those terrors that precede or accompany 
the judgment that every man must undergo. 

Besides our general examination, let us every day 
make a particular examination on our predominant 
passion^ or on that to which we feel ourselves most in- 
clined. Let us listen now to the reproaches of con- 
science^ and not expose ourselves to its accusations be- 
fore that Sovereign Judge wdio, when we shall appear 
in his presence^, can give ear only to his justice^ and 
not to that goodness and mercy which he exercises 
towards us in this life. Let us reflect that the abuse 
of his goodness and mercy will furnish us with an ad- 
ditional motive to dread that judgment, and that we 
religious^ above all, shall be judged with the greater 
severity, the greater the superabundance of graces and 
means of sanctification which, we have received. 

PEAYER 

my Jesus, who art my Savior and my Judge^ be- 
hold me prostrate at thy feet. I confess that I have 
deserved all the severity of thy vengeance, and am ut- 
terly unworthy of thy pardon; and yet, I venture to 
implore thy clemency through the merits of that 
precious blood which thou didst shed for me. I ask 
thy favor now while there is yet time, for when I shall 
be summoned before thy tribunal, the period of mercy 
will have passed. Then thy words will terrify me, if 
I shall have failed to profit by the merits of thy 
precious blood. 

In thee, my generous Redeemer, I place my trust, 
and I conjure thee to take pity on me, so that when 



142 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

I shall appear before thee I may hear from thy lips 
those blessed words that shall admit me to celebrate 
with the saints thy never-ending mercies. 

Resume, page 175. 

Immediately after death comes judgment^ and a 
judgment most rigorous and severe. It shall embrace : 

1. Our good works, which, perhaps, may not have 
been done as God would have them. 

2. Our thoughts, our desires, our affections, so often 
reprehensible. 

3. The use we shall have made of each of our sense*. 

4. Our little correspondence with the grace of God. 

5. All the duties we may have neglected. what 
a subject of terror for the guilty soul to see all its 
actions thus scrutinized and to have only the sentence 
of condemnation to expect ! 

Let us prevent this misfortune; and therefore, 

1. Let us be penetrated with fear of this judgment. 

2. Let us always correspond faithfully with grace. 

3. Let us heed the voice of conscience. 

4. Let us make our particular and our general ex- 
aminations carefully. 

5. Let us fervently implore the divine mercy. 



TWENTY-FOURTH MEDITATION 

JESUS CHRIST THE SUPREME JUDGE 

It is he who hath been appointed by God to be the judge 
of the living and of the dead. — Acts x. 42. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Jesus has been appointed Judge of the living and 
the dead. And to whom indeed could this office of 
Judge of men be more appropriately assigned than to 
him who is at once their Sovereign Lord^ their Law- 
giver^ and their Model; who has merited for them the 
graces necessary to walk in his footsteps^ to imitate 
his virtues^ and to do his holy will; who was himself 
judged so iniquitously on the day of his Passion^ and 
w^hom the wicked in their blasphemy presume to judge 
every day? 

Jesus is Judge^ and Judge of all : an all-powerful, in- 
dependent, impartial, omniscient, and most righteous 
Judge; kind to the just, but severe and inexorable to 
the wicked. He is the omnipotent Judge before whom 
the earth trembles and the mountains melt awaj^, who 
at the moment of death summons the soul before his 
tribunal, to hear the irrevocable sentence that must 
determine its fate for all eternity. And if the soul be 
guilty, oh ! with what terror is the vile creature seized, 
in presence of its Master, whom it has outraged despite 

143 



144 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

his benefits and his most solemn promises and threats : 
outraged in his merits^ in his bloody in his sacraments, 
in all the means of salvation which he provided for the 
soul; outraged in his commandments, and his clearly 
expressed will; outraged by the preference over him 
given to the world, the devil, and the flesh ; outraged so 
often and in so many ways; outraged perhaps because 
of his very goodness. This is, indeed, a day of terror 
for the guilty soul. Whoever we be, then, let us fear 
that day which must soon dawn for all of us. 

Jesus Christ, the omnipotent Judge, is also an inde- 
pendent Judge, who calls to his tribunal all men with- 
out distinction of rank or dignity: the great and the 
lowly, the rich and the poor, the learned and the igno- 
rant, the just and the unjust, all must come before him 
with their works in their hands. He will scrutinize their 
actions, and pass upon them an equitable sentence. He 
will not question men about what they could not do, 
but he will demand an account of the talents which he 
placed at their disposal; he will compare the number 
and value of their actions with the graces which he 
bestowed upon them; he will require four talents from 
him who had received two, ten talents from him who 
had received five. 

This life is a period of mercy, in which Jesus acts 
as the most loving and the kindest of fathers, or rather 
as the good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep and who, 
when he has found it, puts it upon his shoulders and 
brings it back to the fold. But there comes at last an 
hour w^hen justice, and not mercy, reigns supreme. 
During their life, Jesus calls upon sinners and offers 
them pardon ; he knocks at the hearts of those even who 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 145 

are most disobedient to his voice;, and demands admit- 
tance to bring them peace, hope, and contentment. But 
when the days of grace are ended, he acts only as a 
strict and inexorable Judge, who cannot be influenced 
by bribes, who receives no excuses, who is neither 
swayed by favor nor moved by compassion, but who 
gives his decisions according to rigorous justice. 

He is an omniscient Judge, who know^s everything 
before the door of men's hearts are opened and their 
secrets are made manifest; a Judge to whom the most 
hidden things are unveiled and the most obscure things 
brought to light, to w^hom silence itself speaks, and w^ho 
hears distinctly the most secret sighs of the heart; w^ho 
by one glance discerns the thoughts and intentions of 
the soul, and analyzes a life, however long it may have 
been and however varied in character, who dissects, as 
it were, every act of the soul, discerning it in itself and 
in all its attendant circumstances. 

He is a most holy Judge, or rather he is holiness 
itself, and he will examine how far we resemble him. 
He will lay before us his gospel, which is our law^ and 
compare our conduct wdth it ; he will recall to our mem- 
ory the life which he led upon earth, and he will ask 
us if w^e have imitated it. He will judge even our good 
works, which in the language of Scripture,^ are too often 
unclean in his eyes; for they are often done with cul- 
pable interior and exterior dispositions. 

He is full of goodness towards those who have chosen 

him for their Master, who have served him with zeal 

and perseverance, and have endeavored to w^alk in his 

footsteps; but he is an object of terror to those who 

^Isai. Ixiv. 0. 



146 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 

have been ashamed of belonging to him^ and have loved 
darkness more than Hght^ falsehood more than truth, 
who have preferred vice to virtue, and the indulgence 
of their own appetites to the law of God. He is a 
Judge faithful both to his promises and to his threats: 
and after pronouncing the sentence of blessing on some 
and malediction on others, he immediately executes it, 
calling the just to share with him in the happiness of 
heaven, and hurling the reprobate into the abyss of 
hell. 

APPLICATION 

Let us frequently call to mind that Jesus Christ is 
our Judge, and that at the moment of death he will 
summon us before his tribunal. Let us then, labor 
diligently to secure to ourselves a favorable sentence. 
Let us adore him in his character of Supreme Judge, in 
which we must then behold him face to face; let us 
acknowledge and proclaim that to him alone does it 
belong to determine the future fate of all men, and to 
judge justice itself. 

Let us faithfully serve him, as becomes those who are 
consecrated to his service. Let us do all that he re- 
quires of us readily and joyfully, and find our happi- 
ness in doing his holy will. Let us avoid every sin, 
every voluntary fault, and labor to correct our imper- 
fections. Let us faithfully correspond to the abundant 
graces with which he has favored us. Let us be zeal- 
ous for his glory, and let us practise the virtues proper 
to our vocation. how many just grounds for a favor- 
able sentence that teacher has, who devotes himself 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 147 

with earnestness to the duty of making Jesus Christ 
known, loved, and served! 

Let us not judge one another^ but let us be charitable 
to all, remembering that our Lord has said : Judge not, 
that you may not be judged. Blessed are the merciful, 
for they shall ohtain mercy. With what measure you 
have measured, it shall he measured to you again!' 

Let us receive the Sacrament of Penance with the 
necessary dispositions. Let us accuse ourselves sin- 
cerely of all our sins, and they will not be a subject of 
confusion to us at the tribunal of the Sovereign Judge. 
Let us carefully make use of all the means necessary to 
soften the rigor of God's judgment, and to merit from 
Jesus^ our loving Savior, the grace of being admitted 
among the number of the blessed of his Father, who 
dwell in the home of everlasting happiness. 

PEAYER 

Jesus, Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead, 
remember what Thou hast suffered to merit for me the 
pardon of my sins. Help me by thy grace to serve thee 
with fervor, to do thy holy will with such exactness that 
I may hear at the day of judgment these consoling 
words: ^Yell done, thou good and faithful servant; 
. . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, . . . 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world,^ 

R6sum^, page 175. 

Jesus Christ has all right to judge men, whom he 
^Matt. vii. 1 ; v. 7. 



148 MEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 

created^ whom he redeemed, whom his father has made 
subject to him, to whom he has given his law, upon 
whom he has lavished his graces, for whom he died. 
Yes, Jesus is our Judge: 

1. An omnipotent and independent Judge. 

2. A Judge of all and in all things. 

3. An impartial, enlightened, upright Judge. 

4. A Judge most holj^, who will examine our like- 
ness or our unlikeness to himself. 

5. A good Judge, affable to the just, but severe and 
inexorable to the wicked. 

— Let us labor, then, to render him favorable to us. 

1. Let us adore him as Supreme Judge. 

2. Let us accomplish all that he wishes of us. 

3. Let us be zealous for his glory. 

4. Let us beware of judging our brethren, for he has 
said: ^^ Judge not, and you shall not be judged.^^ 

5. Let us confess our sins with the most entire sin- 
cerity and the most lively contrition, and so obtain 
grace for the day when we shall appear before him. 



TWENTY-FIFTH MEDITATION 

JUDGMENT OP THE IMPERFECT RELIGIOUS 

Thou sayest: I am rich . . . and have need of nothing: 
and thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and mis- 
erable, and poor, and blind, and naked. — Apoc. iii. 17. 

CONSIDEEATION 

These are the words which Jesus Christ will address 
to the soul of the imperfect religious, when he will 
summon it before his tribunal to render an account 
both of all it has actually done for him who did so much 
for it, and of all he had reason to expect from it in re- 
turn for the favors which he had lavished upon it. To 
such a soul he will say: Thoy sayest, I am rich . . . 
and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, 
and poor, and blind, and naked!' 

He will say to it, as he did to the Jewish people : 
^^What could I have done for thee that I have not 
done?^^ For from all eternity he had predestined it to 
his service, not only by virtue of baptism, but also by 
vocation to the religious life; he had given it courage 
to burst the bonds that attached it to the world; he 
had received it into his holy house, and admitted it even 
into the sanctuary; he had enriched it with graces and 
special favors. How many holy inspirations, virtuous 

^Apoc. iii. 17. 
149 



150 ' MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

thoughts^ good counsels and examples^ confessions and 
communions^ and stings of remorse; especiallj^ when it 
first began to relax in fervor ! 

While examining its conduct through life he will 
point out to this tepid and unfaithful soul its sloth, 
its negligence, its indifference, its careless and unmorti- 
fied life, its want of vigilance over itself, its lack of 
zeal, both for its sanctification, and for regular obser- 
vance and practices of piety. He will remind it of the 
obligations which it contracted voluntarily and ful- 
filled very imperfectly ; the sacraments which it received 
without preparation and without fruit ; the inspirations 
which it continually rejected, and the feelings of re- 
morse which it disregarded. 

Yes, the Divine Master will say to it : ^^What could 
I have done for thee that I have not done ? And thou, 
what hast thou done for me? I have taken thee from 
Egypt by the sacrament of baptism; I have brought 
thee to a land of promise and benediction, by making 
thee participate in the advantages of a religious life. 
I have nourished thee with heavenly manna by the 
sacraments which I have instituted. My clemency has 
preceded, accompanied, and followed thee. I have put 
into thy hands all the weapons necessary to defend thee 
against thy enemies. Why, then, hast thou acted as if 
thou hadst abandoned my service? WTiy hast thou 
served me in a manner so unworthy of me and of my 
favors ? 

^'^I have asked of thee nothing that was above thy 
strength, nothing that thou couldst not easily perform 
with my abundant and constant help. Thou hast no 
reason then to complain of me; but hast thou not given 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 151 

me abimdant cause to complain of thee^ and to address 
thee in language of reproach? 

"What use hast thou made of the grace of baptism? 
Why hast thou not kept unstained the robe of innocence 
with which thou wast then clothed? Thy heart was 
then made the sanctuary of my graces; why didst thou 
profane it by thy remissness and sin ? Thy body was 
the temple of my holy Spirit ; why didst thou make it 
an instrument to offend me? 

"^ly will was made known to thee^ and yet often 
hast thou said like the devil : ^I will not obey.' My 
promises and threats have been repeated to thee^ and 
thou hast scarcely made any account of them. Many 
souls have with the ordinary graces not only sanctified 
themselves but attained a high degree of perfection, in 
spite of repeated obstacles; and thou, remiss and slug- 
gish soul, hast remained poor in the midst of abund- 
ance; thou hast been unfaithful, in spite of the num- 
berless graces which I have heaped upon thee; thou 
hast been a useless tree in the garden of religion, and 
instead of fruits fit to be served at the heavenly table, 
thou hast produced only rotten figs and bitter grapes. 

"Thy own words are thy condemnation. How often 
hast thou not avowed thy faults, asked pardon for them, 
and promised to do better? and still thou hast always 
put off till to-morrow the performance of thy good 
resolutions. Thou hast paid no attention to the threat 
which I addressed to each and every one in particular, — 
that I should come when least expected. At last that 
hour is at hand ; now render an account of thy works.^' 

Yes, such is the language in which God will reproach 
the soul of the lukewarm religious. what regrets 



152 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

will that soul then experience! How greatly will it 
deplore its indolence in the service of God ! But alas ! 
it will then be too late. 

APPLICATION 

Let us anticipate the day on which we must appear 
before him who will judge us according to the rigor of 
justice, and who will say to each of us: ^^What ought 
I to have done for thee that I have not done ? and thou, 
what hast thou done for me, and how hast thou cor- 
responded to my favors?^' 

Let us be more faithful and more devoted to him, the 
more graces we receive from his hands. Let not one 
of them be unfruitful in our souls ; for it is not in vain 
that such favors have been lavished upon us ; they must 
either serve for our sanctification or prove the source 
of our condemnation. St. Teresa dreaded more the 
abuse she might have made of grace than the faults 
which she had actually committed. Let our hearts be 
penetrated with the same sentiment. 

Let us cultivate the grace of our vocation, and per- 
form exactly the duties of our holy state. Let us make 
our spiritual exercises with care, and draw from each 
the fruits of sanctification and salvation which it ought 
to produce. Let us examine our conscience frequently, 
and heed its just reproaches. Let us read our rules, 
and make all our actions conform thereto. Let us live 
up to our obligations, and reform in our lives whatever 
discrepancies we may find therein, whatever at the 
hour of death might draw down upon us the reproaches 
of our Sovereign Judge. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 153 

Let US mortify our passions^ and live a spiritual;, not 
a sensual, life; let us act through charity, not through 
self-love or affection for any creature. Let all be for 
Jesus from this very instant and forever, and we shall 
have nothing to fear when we shall be called to appear 
before him. 

PEAYEE 

my God, enter not into judgment with me after 
death. Eemember that thou art my Father and Savior. 
Grant that my sufferings in this world may serve as an 
expiation for my sins, that I may have nothing to fear 
when I shall appear before thee. 

Lord, give ear only to thy great mercy and thy 
infinite goodness; be my support, my strength, and my 
consolation. Keep me in thy grace that when my soul 
shall quit this body of sin, it may be adorned with such 
virtues as will make it pleasing in thy eyes. Deign, 
my Jesus, to speak to it these words of benediction : ''I 
am thy salvation.'^ I apply to thee the merits of my 
sufferings and death ; I myself will defend thee against 
the accusations of thy enemies. Come, soul, dear to 
my Father, come to possess the kingdom prepared for 
my elect ?^ 

Resume, page 176. 

How much reason the tepid religious has to dread 
his judgment ! 

1. Jesus Christ shall remind him of the graces which 
he has bestowed upon him. 

2. He will demand what use he has made of them. 

^Ps. xxxiv. 3. 



154 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

3. He will ask for an accounting of all his negli- 
gence in the fnlfillment of his duties. 

4. He will show him a multitude of souls who, 
though favored with fewer graces, have persevered in 
fervor. 

5. Yes, the tepid religious shall see that he has been, 
alas ! only a barren tree in the garden of religion. 

How great shall be his regret ! But how vain ! how 
futile ! 

— Do we wish to avoid this ? 

1. Let us be faithful to God^s graces. 

2. Let us cherish our vocation, let us fulfill its 
duties. 

3. Let us acquit ourselves well of our spiritual exer- 
cises. 

4. Let us often ask ourselves what we are before 
God. 

5. Let us reform what displeases him in our con- 
duct. 



TWENTY-SIXTH MEDITATION 

VAIN EXCUSES OF THE IMPERFECT 
RELIGIOUS 

Judge between me and my vineyard. — Isai. v. 3. 
CONSIDEEATIOX 

There are few imperfect religious, however irregular 
they may be, who have not good sentiments from time 
to time ; w^ho do not find themselves compelled, at least 
by circumstances, to enter into their hearts, acknowl- 
edge their remissness, and make good resolutions. It is, 
above all, these happy moments, these salutary inspira- 
tions of grace, that God will recall to the bad religious 
when reminding him of the many favors bestowed on 
him. 

^^Thou didst know thy duty,'^ our Lord will say to 
him. ^'^Often didst thou admit thy faults, often didst 
thou form the resolution of doing better because thou 
didst feel its necessity. Thou didst even make some 
progress in the way of virtue, particularly when thou 
didst enter into religion; thou didst wish to persevere 
in the right way, and die in the practice of holiness. 
Why, then, hast thou relaxed thy efforts? Why hast 
thou ceased to advance in the path of virtue ? * Why 
hast thou looked back after putting thy hand to the 
plough? Why has that, which was a duty for thee, 

155 



156 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ceased to appear such? Didst thou then give thyself 
up to me only for a time^ or only on condition that 
it wonld not cost thee trouble or suffering ? 

^^Why have thy rules^ which in the days of thy fervor 
appeared to thee something holy and sacred^ become 
a dead letter^ without power to bind thee? Why have 
those great motives of fear and hope which once kept 
thee true to thy obligations^ become insignificant and 
contemptible in thy eyes ? Why has my yoke^, which is 
so light, and which thou didst formerly bear with cour- 
age, become too heavy for thee. Why, after having be- 
gun in the spirit, hast thou ended in the flesh? .... 
Be thy own judge, unfaithful religious, for I appeal to 
thy own conscience! 

^^During the time of retreat — and thou hast made 
many retreats — ^thou didst acknowledge thy faults, thou 
didst confess them; thou didst wish to change thy life, 
to be more modest, more recollected, more watchful 
over thy senses, more reserved in thy relations with the 
world, more attentive to thy duties, more sincere in thy 
manifestation of conduct, more contrite in thy confes- 
sions, more fervent in thy communions, more edifying 
to thy community and thy pupils. And yet, after each 
of these promises, thou didst almost always relapse into 
the same faults, into the same indifference to thy salva- 
tion, into the same lukewarmness. 

^^Wouldst thou wish to allege thy weakness? But I 
shall answer thee : Didst thou ask me tb give thee the 
necessary strength? and didst thou avoid the occasions 
of sin? Thou wast indeed weak; thou shouldst there- 
fore have watched and prayed, and not exposed thyself 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 157 

rashly to danger. Wouldst thou seek to allege thy oc- 
cupations as an excuse for having neglected the care 
of thy salvation ? But the law does not forbid labor, it 
only requires that labor be sanctified, and this thou 
didst well know. Why hast thou not acted according 
to thy knowledge? Besides, couldst thou be ignorant 
that salvation is the great affair, the first and only 
business of man? 

^^Wouldst thou urge thy want of experience? But 
thou oughtest then to have mistrusted thyself, and 
consulted thy spiritual advisers. Wouldst thou plead 
the example of some remiss and irregular religious? 
But didst thou not know that they were doing wrong? 
and on the other hand, hadst thou no good examples 
to follow ? Why, then, hast thou shunned the company 
of those whose influence might have led thee to live a 
good life, and why hast thou formed friendships and 
intimacies with such as flattered thy inclinations, such 
as proved stumbling blocks in thy path, and such as 
thou didst know were likely to lead thee astray? 

^^Wouldst thou plead thy youth, and thy hope of re- 
turn to me to make a good confession and begin a new 
life? But didst thou not know that it is written: Be 
you also ready, for at ivJiat hour you thifiJc not the Son 
of man will comet How many young persons have 
been, to thy own knowledge, surprised by death ? Thou 
hast trembled for them, but unfortunately thou hast 
not trembled for thyself ! 

^^Tell me, rather, that thou hast allowed thy heart to 
grow cold, that thou hast gradually abandoned the 

^Luke xii. 40. 



158 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

observance of thy rule^, that thou hast suffered thyself 
to fall into a remiss and indolent life^ that thou hast 
become the slave of thy senses. 

^^Thou hast allowed thyself indulgences, not only un- 
becoming thy vocation, but unworthy even of men who 
live in the world, — imprudent glances or such ill-ad- 
vised friendships and intimacies as should never have 
been contracted, or at least should have been dissolved 
at the first reproach of conscience. Thou hast been 
eager to see and hear everything, and to mix in society ; 
and through thy senses, the world has taken possession 
of thy heart and turned thee away from virtue. Thou 
hast sought opportunities for evil, thou hast made use 
of them at the sacrifice of duty; and those opportuni- 
ties have proved fatal to thee. Instead of manifesting 
thy conscience to thy confessor who would have 
stretched out a helping hand to thee, thou hast con- 
cealed thy wretchedness from him, and consequently 
thou hast fallen into the pit which the devil had dug 
for thee. The evil done is then the work of thy own 
hands, thou hast thyself to blame for the condition in 
which thou appearest before me, and for which thou 
must answer to my eternal justice. 

^^How different would have been thy state, hadst thou 
been faithful to my counsels; hadst thou profited by 
all my graces, and the many inspirations bestowed on 
thee, the interior lights to guide thee, the stings of con- 
science to warn thee, the good example given thee, and 
the many exhortations made thee ! What confidence 
shouldst thou now have, hadst thou profited by thy 
many confessions, whereas thou hast failed to correct 
thyself of even one of thy faults; and by the many 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 159 

commTinions from which^ alas ! thou hast derived no 
benefit !'^ 

APPLICATION 

Let us to-day judge our excuses in the light in which 
we shall see them when we stand before God's tribunal, 
and not in the light of our passions. Oh ! what will 
then be the sentiments of a religious soul that has been 
lukewarm in God's service, and that, yielding to spirit- 
ual sloth, has under frivolous pretences, lulled itself 
into a false security? How ardently at that terrible 
moment it will wish that it had used violence in sub- 
duing its corrupt nature and mastering its evil inclina- 
tions ! that it had generously observed its rule and 
never sought excuses to be dispensed from obligations. 
Were there still time left it^ with what earnestness it 
would apply itself to the practice of all its duties ! 

And yet such may be the state of our soul. Let 
us do now what we should then wish to have done ; let 
us now gain the favor of our Judge, by a sincere re- 
turn to his service; let us take him for model whilst 
we live, so that after death, he may be to us only a 
Savior. 

Let us live in salutary dread of God's judgments, 
let us think of the account that we must render after 
death, and say often with the Church : 

"What shaH guilty I then plead, 
Who for me will intercede, 
When the saints shall comfort need?"^ 

Let us renew our first fervor, overcome our repugnances, 

^Dies Irae. 



160 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

and make such sacrifices as conscience requires of ns. 
Let us break off the habits that might lead us to de- 
struction^ and we shall spare ourselves in a future life 
regrets that will be the more bitter, because we shall 
feel that they are unavailing. 

PEAYER 

I acknowledge before thee, dear Jesus, the futility, 
or rather the folly, of such vain excuses as I might al- 
lege to justify a conduct that has been remiss, luke- 
warm, and full of defects ; for it is only from the prac- 
tice of my duty that I can derive any confidence on the 
day when I shall appear before thy tribunal. 

Assist me, by thy grace, to observe faithfully both 
thy law and the rules of my holy state; to correct my 
evil inclinations, become fervent in my prayers, and 
have nothing so much at heart as to serve thee in future 
with all the fidelity in my power. These favors I ask 
of thee by thy own infinite merits, and through the in- 
tercession of Mary, my good and kind Mother. 

Resume, page 176. 

What excuse can the imperfect religious offer on the 
day of judgment? 

1. His weakness? He was asked to do only what he 
could and might have done. 

2. Perverted inclinations and the temptations of the 
devil? Abundance of grace was giver him to over- 
come them. 

3. The seductions of the world? He ought to have 
fled from them. 

4. The examples of the lax? A hundred times he 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 161 

was admonished not to imitate them; and besides, he 
had, as a counterpoise, the example of the fervent. 

5. The hope of being converted later? Jesus Christ 
has said: ^^Be ye ready /^ 

— Let us not, then, deceive ourselves: 

1. Let us judge our conduct as it is in God's sight, 
and not as it appears to ourselves. 

2. Let us not excuse ourselves. 

3. Let us sustain our fervor. 

4. Let us reform our conduct. 

5. Let us call to mind that we prepare for ourselves 
the judgment that we shall have to undergo. 



TWENTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION 
JUDGMENT OF THE JUST SOUL 

Fear not, for I am with thee. — Isai. xliii. 5. 

CONSIDERATION 

If, in the Holy Scriptures, God frequently menaces 
us with the severity of his judgments, it is because 
he is anxious not to exercise it in our regard, but to 
induce us to take precautions against it. If he shows 
himself so terrible, it is to testify his interest in us, and 
to induce us to lead so holy a life as may prepare us 
for a happy death and a favorable sentence at his tri- 
bunal. He who has said, I desire not the death of the 
wicked,^ assuredlj^, and with still more reason, wills 
not the death of him who both serves him faithfully 
and ardently desires so to serve him all the days of his 
life. 

We cannot doubt that judgment will be terrible to 
him whom death has surprised in the state of mortal 
sin,, and therefore in a state of enmity with his Judge ; 
but just as certainly will it be merciful and consoling, 
to the just man who, by his fidelity and piety, shall 
have made him his friend. He will seem to stand not 
before a strict and inflexible Judge, but before the 
kindest of Fathers ; and consequently what can he fear ? 

^Ezsch. xxxiii. 11. 
1G2 



MEDITATIONS OK OUR LAST END 163 

The prodigal son was guilty ; but because he repented, 
he was received by his father with kindness and af- 
fection. The parable furnishes a motive of confidence, 
not only to him who may have preserved his innocence, 
but also to him who repents of his sins, however nu- 
merous and grievous they may have been. Let both, then, 
hope for a favorable sentence, a sentence that will be 
a blessing, by assuring to them a happy immortality; 
for heaven is promised equally to innocence never sul- 
lied by sin, and to innocence restored by repentance. 

It is written in the Apocalypse: Blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord} that is to say, blessed are 
they who, having continually striven to die to them- 
selves, have always lived in the presence of God; and 
blessed are they who, after having been buried in sin, 
have risen again to a life of grace. The judgment that 
follows death is only their formal adoption into the 
society of the saints, their title admission to the en- 
joyment of eternal felicity, in which the elect partici- 
pate, and to the inheritance which Christ has merited 
for them by his sufferings and death upon the cross. 

We should not then be astonished at the peace of 
mind enjoyed by the just man on his death-bed, nor at 
his exclamation in the words of the royal prophet: I 
rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall 
go into the house of the Lord^ ''0 how I now rejoice," 
might he add, ^^that in all I did I sought only the 
greater glory of God and my own salvation! How 
I rejoice that I listened to the voice that called upon 
me to enter into my heart, to be sincerely converted and 
to persevere in virtue! How I rejoice that by a good 
^Apoc. xiv. 13. ^Ps. cxxi. 1. 



164 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

confession I purified my soul of the sins I had the mis- 
fortune to commit ! How I rejoice that I overcame that 
temptation that would have drawn me into the road 
that leads to perdition ! how I rejoice that I chose 
for my inheritance and my all the Lord who will be 
not only my Judge, but also my eternal recompense V^ 

The fear of judgment does not trouble the just man 
in his last moments. He knows how true are the words 
of the Psalmist, Thy justice is as the mountains of 
God; thy judgments are a great deep/ but he knows 
also that this God of infinite goodness has solemnly 
promised that those who judge themselves shall not be 
judged; that he has said: Be converted and do penance 
for all your iniquities^ and sin shall not be your ruin/ 
but I will show you mercy; be converted to me, and I 
will turn to you ; judge yourselves and you shall not be 
judged/^ Therefore, it is, that he is filled with con- 
fidence, and he seems to hear these words: "^^Come to 
me, faithful and penitent soul, enter thou into the joy 
of thy Lord/ 

How happy he then is, and with what transports 
of joy he exclaims with St. Paul: To me to live is 
Christ, and to die is gain :* and with the royal prophet : 
My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the 
Lord/ In his eyes, death is only the beginning of 
our true life, the moment of our birth in heaven. 

Yes, it is with reason that the prophet declares : Pre- 
cious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints/ 
precious, because it confirms them in the love of God; 
precious, because it merits for them the happiness of 

iPs. XXXV. 7. ^Ezech. xviii. 30. *Matt. xxv. 21. 
*Philip i. 21. ^Ps. Ixxxiii. 3. «Ps. cxv. 15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 165 

hearing from the mouth of the Sovereign Judge the 
sentence that secures their eternal happiness: "^^Come, 
ye blessed of my Father; come^ good and faithful ser- 
vants^ come to receive the recompense promised to fidel- 
ity in my service. You have accomplished my work; 
you have fulfilled your mission ; you have turned to ac- 
count the talents which I entrusted to you; you have 
courageously and constantly fought against the enemies 
of your salvation, and gained many glorious victories 
over them. Come and receive the palm awarded to 
conquerors, and share in my happiness: Come, possess 
the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world;^ and which as far as depended 
upon you, you have merited, by your co-operation with 
my grace.'' 



APPLICATION 



Let us fear the judgment of God, for it will be full 
of terror to the sinner; but let us at the same time 
give room to confidence, for he who is to pronounce 
the sentence will be to us both Father and Friend, if 
we shall have answered his appeal, and in the sincerity 
of our hearts have striven to please him alone. Let us be 
sincerely converted to him, and he will no more re- 
member our iniquities, nor shall we have reason to 
fear his sentence of malediction on that day, when he 
shall summon us to appear before his supreme tribunal. 
what joy will be ours, what transports of delight we 

^Matt. XXV. 34. 



166 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

will experience^ when we shall hear these words: Come, 
ye blessed of my Father!^ 

What shall we then think of the mortifications which 
we have imposed upon ourselves, of the spiritual exer- 
cises which we have performed with fervor, of the 
worldly enjojTnents which we have renounced? What 
value we shall then set on the penances which we have 
practised, and by which we have so satisfied the justice 
of God, as to leave room only for his mercy! 

Let us now entertain the same sentiments, and let 
us act as we shall then wish to have acted. Let us 
live holily; let us judge ourselves, and condemn our- 
selves, for thereby we shall escape condemnation on the 
last day. Let us accuse ourselves sincerely and con- 
tritely at the tribunal of penance, and we shall as- 
suredly be justified at the tribunal of Christ. 

PRAYER 

my Jesus, I realize that it is of sovereign import- 
ance for me to prepare for the day of judgment. Grant 
that I may labor unceasingly for this purpose, that I 
may faithfully accomplish thy holy will in everything, 
and that persevering in thy love, I may, at the moment 
of my death, hear from thy divine lips, good Father, 
these words which are the sole object of my desires: 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom 
prepared for you.^ 

Mar}^, my good and loving Mother, pray for me to 
thy divine Son, that he may be a merciful judge to me, 

^Matt. XXV. .34. 



MEDITATIONS ox OUR LAST END 167 

and pronounce on me the sentence of eternal happi- 
ness. 

glorious St. Joseph, patron of a good death, pray 
for me : obtain by thy powerful intercession that I may 
die the death of the saints, and that my judgment may 
be such as to admit me to heaven, there to bless with 
thee the mercy of God forever. 

Resume, page 177. 

Judgment has nothing terrible for the just. 

1. God, who has said^ "I will not the death of a 
sinner,^' will certainly be merciful towards souls of 
good will. 

2. "Blessed,^' said the Holy Spirit, ^^are the dead 
who die in the Lord.^^ 

3. The just man when dying has every reason to 
rejoice, for he is going to appear before his Friend, his 
Benefactor, his Father. 

4. Hence, how many of the saints, when near their 
end, repeated with David: ^^I rejoice, because it has 
been said to me, We shall go into the house of the 
Lord r 

5. They were about to hear from the lips of Jesus 
Christ the sentence of supreme benediction ! 

— Let us labor, then, that we also may deserve to 
hear it. 

1. Let us be converted sincerely and without delay. 

2. Let us faithfully observe the law of God. 

3. Let us keep our holy Eules. 

4. Let us fear sin more than death. 

5. Let us love Jesus, and labor for his glory. 



TWENTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION 
THE GENERAL RESURRECTION 

In the last day I shall rise out of the earth. — Job xix. 25. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let ns in imagination picture the terrors of that 
hour when God^ manifesting to men the justice of his 
conduct and his judgments^ will command the souls 
of all men in heaven or in hell to return to earth and 
be clothed with the bodies which they had animated 
during their time of trial. 

Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment! will the angel 
of God cry out^ the messenger of him who is the Master 
of life and death: and all men will obe)^ that order, 
and arise immediately. Yes^ the souls of all men, of 
both the good and the bad, will re-enter the bodies with 
which they were united on earth, as God has revealed 
in the Holy Scriptures : I know, says Job, that my Re- 
deemer liveth; and in the last day I shall rise out of 
the earth: and I shall he clothed again with my sTcin, 
and in my flesh I shall see my God^ 

Let us now consider what will take place on that 
terrible day, and first of all let us represent to our- 
selves the wicked summoned from hell to resume their 
bodies. What a picture they present for meditation ! 

^Jotx xix. 25, 26. 
168 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 169 

Let us, with the eyes of imagination, behold those un- 
happy souls as they come forth in millions to seek the 
bodies that were in part the cause of their ruin, and 
bear about them the revolting signs of reprobation and 
despair. With what repugnance they look upon their 
nauseous corpses that through all eternity must be the 
companions of their torments as they had been the in- 
struments of their crimes ! Let us bear in mind that 
their repugnance is greater than that which the most 
sensitive and delicate of men would here experience 
were he cast into a common sewer or bound to a putrid 
carcass. 

And yet, the soul that has been the slave of sen- 
suality must re-enter this hideous mass of abomina- 
tion; it must re-animate those hands that helped it to 
commit sin, those feet that led it whither it ought not 
to have gone, those eyes that looked upon vanity and 
allowed death to enter, those ears that listened with 
pleasure to words against charity, perhaps even against 
holy purity, and that heart that beat only for the world 
when every throb should have been offered up to God. 

The guilty soul will recognize in this hideous corpse 
stretched upon the ground the vile companion of its 
eternal misery. At the sight it would gladly flee away, 
but a powerful hand, an irresistible force, compels it 
to enter that loathsome prison, which, throughout eter- 
nity, will be the more insupportable to it, the more 
pleasure it may have taken in it during the days of 
its mortal life. Yes, it will be compelled to enter that 
body, and to appear with it before all men. What 
shame, what regret, what agony! But shame, regret, 
and agony will then be all in vain. 



170 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END ' 

^■0 wretched body ! that didst draw me into sin ;' ' 
the soul will exclaim; "thou art now to share my pun-* 
ishment !'' But well might the body answer : "It is 
thou that art the criminal^ for thou didst order the 
crime and devise the means ; it is thou that hast ruined 
me. Yes^ I shall share thy punishment^ but I will make 
thee pay dearly for the pleasures which thou didst en- 
joy through me. Enter this everlasting prison which 
is already on fire with the breath of an angry God.^^ 

Behold in this picture the certain fate of all who re- 
main indifferent to the things of eternity^ and live 
only for time; who forget the care of their souls to 
think only of their bodieS;, and who plunge into the 
depths of vice^ giving themselves up to the guilty pleas- 
ures of the flesh. Behold the certain fate of libertines 
and worldlings, who care only for the body and have no 
other occupation than that of pampering and worship- 
ping the flesh. Behold, in a word, the certain fate of 
all whom death shall have surprised in mortal sin. 

Since both soul and body were associated in crime 
whilst upon earth, it is necessary that they share dis- 
grace, torments and despair hereafter. They must ap- 
pear before the universe bearing all the marks of the 
vices and crimes of which they have been guilty. 
what a spectacle will the multitude of the damned 
present ! Behold that countless host of criminals bear- 
ing on their foreheads the ineffaceable brand of ever- 
lasting damnation ; behold them, like pillars of fire, 
devoured by the fiames of hell, and compelled to range 
themselves at the left of the throne of Him who will 
come to judge the living and the dead. What a fright- 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 171 

ful assemblage ! woe ! a thousand times woe to those 
who shall be condemned to be of their number ! 

On the other hand^ the souls of the elect will come 
from heaven to resume their bodies, the precious relics 
which they left upon earth; for the sacred members of 
their bodies are destined to share the unending happi- 
ness of their souls. With what pleasure will they be 
again united to those glorious remains which are des- 
tined to shine like stars for all eternity ! Each of these 
souls may well address in these terms the body which it 
is about to reanimate : /^O thou through whom I have 
served my God and accomplished his law, who hast 
co-operated with me in the w^ork of my sanctification, 
come forth from the arms of death, from which thou 
art forever delivered, and share my happiness. Come 
to the heavenly Jerusalem, where, exalted above thy 
nature, thou wilt share my everlasting felicity.^' To 
this the body might answer : ^^Be thou blessed, faith- 
ful soul, who during the days of our trial didst keep 
me in the path of virtue, and didst make use of me 
to glorify God. how profitable have thy severities 
been to me ! Behold I shall participate in the glory of 
the resurrection of our Lord, and with thee enjoy 
the happiness which he has merited for his elect. ^' 

Behold the just risen again; behold that glorious 
army advancing in triumph to the right hand of the 
Sovereign Judge to be associated wdth him in pronounc- 
ing sentence upon the world, and to receive from his 
lips the call to share in his infinite happiness. "Then,'' 
as the author of the ''Imitation'' wisely remarks, ''shall 
the flesh that was afflicted exult more than if it had 



172 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

always fared in delights. . . . Then shall simple 
obedience be more highly exalted than all worldly cun- 
ning. . . . Then shalt thou find more consolation in 
having prayed devoutly than in having feasted daint- 
ily. Then shalt thou rejoice more in having kept silence 
than for having made long discourses or talked much. 
Then shall strictness of life and hard penance please 
more than all the delights of earth.^^^ 

APPLICATION 

Christian soul, dost thou now understand how much 
virtue will benefit thee? Dost thou wish to share the 
fate of the reprobate, and not rather the happiness of 
the elect? Dost thou wish on the day of resurrection 
to enter a sinful body destined to the flames of hell, or, 
on the contrary, one worthy in some sort to adorn Para- 
dise? Dost thou wish to enter a hideous and loath- 
some corpse, or a body resplendent with light and 
beauty? Dost thou wish to be covered with confusion 
along with the countless horde of Christ's enemies, and 
not rather to triumph with him and his saints? 

Life and death are offered to thee, it is thine to 
choose. If thou causest the old man within thee to 
die, if thou dost mortify thy senses, if thou dost make 
war upon thy inclinations, thou wilt enjoy a life of 
unending happiness. If, on the other hand, thou dost 
pamper thy body and become its slave, if thou seekest 
to satisfy thy every desire, a state worse than death 
will be thy inheritance forever. 

^Bk. I. Chap. xxiv. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 173 

PEAYER 

my God^ if thou hadst struck me down when I 
was forsaking thy service, what a fate would have been 
mine! In what a condition would I on the last day 
rise from the dead! My soul, sullied by sin, would 
then be compelled to re-enter the hideous body which 
it had used as an instrument to offend thee, and thy 
angels w^ould have placed me at thy left hand with 
the reprobate. But undying thanks be to thee, thou 
didst take pity on me, thou didst open my eyes, give 
me time to return to thee and do penance. 

1 will profit by this precious time, Lord, to merit 
by a holy life the glorious resurrection which will be 
the inheritance of thy elect. I beg of thee this grace 
by the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the inter- 
cession of his most holy Mother. 

Resume, page 177. 

Let us represent to ourselves in the liveliest man- 
ner possible what shall come to pass at the general 
resurrection. 

1. The Angel of God shall sound the trumpet. 

2. All souls shall again be united to their bodies. 

3. The souls of the just shall animate bright and 
glorious bodies ; those of the wicked, hideous and fright- 
ful bodies. 

4. The souls of the just shall congratulate their 
bodies, the instruments of their virtues; those of the 
wicked shall curse theirs, the instruments of their 
vices. 

5. All shall take their place: the good, as faithful 
sheep, on the right of Jesus Christ; and the wicked, 
as unclean goats, on the left. 

— What shall our lot then be? 



174 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

1. Shall we deserve to be raised to eternal life? 

2. In what state shall our body be? 

3. ^^Tiat shall be stamped on our forehead? 

4. With whom shall we be associated? 

5. What place shall we have? 

Let US consider that the answer depends upon our 
fidelity to God. 



TWENTY-NINTH MEDITATION 

THE RISEN DEAD AWAIT THEIR JUDGE 

Look up, and lift up your heads. — Luke xxi. 28. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us consider how all men^ from Adam^ our first 
parent^ to the last of his descendants, having risen 
again, will in an instant be transported, by divine 
omnipotence, to the place fixed upon for the general 
judgment, and placed according to their deserts, either 
on the right or the left of the Sovereign Judge. What 
a spectacle will there be presented by this assembly of 
all mankind, the good and the bad, the saints and the 
reprobate, awaiting the coming of him who is to pro- 
nounce the final sentence fixing the eternal destiny of 
each ! 

Let us picture to ourselves two great eminences fac- 
ing each other; let us imagine them covered by the 
whole human race, the rich and the poor, the mighty 
and the lowly, the learned and the ignorant. On one 
side are placed the good, whose bodies, arrayed in glory, 
are gifted with immortality, resplendent with beauty, 
and surrounded by a light more brilliant than that of 
the sun. All are tranquil and happy; like good chil- 
dren, they await with holy impatience the arrival of 
a kind and merciful Father who is about to crown their 

175 



176 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

triumph, to extol their virtues in the presence of all 
nations, and conduct them to the abode of everlasting 
happiness. 

Let us contemplate them raising their hands to 
heaven and joyfully calling upon their Sovereign Judge. 
Let us hear them repeat with the beloved disciple: 
Come^ Lord Jesus/' come to crown with eternal happi- 
ness, according to thy promise, those who, aided by thy 
grace, have tenderly loved and faithfully served thee. 
Come, most tender Father, come to pronounce the 
sentence of benediction upon thy elect. Come, Jesus, 
our gentle Savior, and bring us all to thee: we have 
belonged to thee in time; let us be united to thee in 
eternity.^^ 

On the other side, let us consider the wicked torn 
by remorse and become insupportable even to them- 
selves. They would have preferred remaining in the 
eternal fires of hell, to assisting at the fearful judg- 
ment to which they are now to be subjected. They 
call upon death, and death shall fly from themf they 
invoke annihilation, and only eternity meets their gaze ; 
they sigh for darkness, and they are forced to remain 
in the light radiating from the countenances of the 
elect; and although perfectly certain of their fate, they 
nevertheless are seized with fear while waiting for him 
who is to pronounce their final sentence of condemna- 
tion and see the gates of hell so soon to close upon them 
forever. ^^Ye mount ains,^^ they will cry out, "fall 
upon us, hide us from the face of that God who has 
been so good to us, but whom we have forced to be- 
come a strict and implacable Judge. Hide us, remove 
^Apoc. xxii. 20. ^Apoc. ix. 6. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EKD 177 

US from the sight of the just whom we despised upon 
earthy and to whom we are now made objects of horror : 
we treated them as fools and madmen^ when they alone 
were walking in the path of wisdom and goodness/^ 

But the reprobate will have no means of hiding 
themselves from the ej-es of God and men: they will 
be forced to remain and endure the gaze of the elect 
whilst waiting for the coming of Jesus^ their Savior, 
whom they not only refused to love^ but even betrayed 
by preferring to Him vain pleasures and deceitful riches ;• 
that Jesus who was so good to them during life, but who 
is now an avenging God, ready to pronounce, in the 
face of the world, the sentence of their condemnation. 

what will then be the indignation of the proud at 
seeing themselves utterly despised, and despised by all 
men, both the good and the wicked; at seeing them- 
selves everywhere rejected as wretches deserving ever- 
lasting shame ! What will the rich man think of his 
riches, which he abused and made his idol, when he 
sees' himself deprived of everything and reduced to 
the most frightful poverty forever? What will the 
wretch who sought to gratify every . sense and inclina- 
tion think of the pleasures of life when he shall see 
awaiting him a devouring fire, unending suffering, and 
weeping, and gnashing of teeth? 

What will then be the sentiments of that lukewarm 
Christian who, through human respect, neglected his 
duties? Whsit will he think when he is about to ap- 
pear before the God whom he had not the courage to 
serve, when he knows that all his sins are already ex- 
posed to the eyes of the world? 

How bitter will be the regret of him who has not 



178 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

been sincere in his confessions, when he reflects that by 
a candid avowal to the priest he might have effaced all 
his sins, and removed them forever from the sight of 
God ! What will he then think of his condition, and 
of the everlasting fate reserved for him? With what 
feelings he will await the coming of the great King 
to judge him; of the God from whom he had received 
so many graces, but whom he was unwilling to know, 
love, and serve! 

But what must be the thoughts of a religious who, 
at that moment, finds himself on the left of his Judge; 
who, in spite of all the spiritual characters imprinted 
on his soul, in spite of his vows, his promises, the sac- 
raments which he received, the graces with which he 
was favored, and the means of salvation abundantly 
bestowed on him, finds himself ranked with the wicked ! 
what a situation ! what terror and despair must be 
his! 

No, no ! the agony of a criminal in this world, upon 
whom the court is about to pass sentence of condemna- 
tion, is in no way to be compared with that of the 
sinner awaiting Jesus Christ, who for the last time is 
about to come in the clouds of heaven, in all the 
splendor of his divinity, to judge the living and the 
dead ! 

APPLICATION 

We are so eager for distinction, so sensitive as to a 
point of honor, so eager to defend ourselves against 
every insinuation, so skillful in excusing our faults, 
that it seems to us hard to live with one who does 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 179 

not esteem us^ and in whose eyes we have lost all honor 
and reputation; and 3^et, b}^ sin we expose ourselves 
to the danger of being covered on the last day with 
greater shame than it is possible for us now to con- 
ceive. 

How great will be the confusion of the wicked when 
obliged to appear before the universe in their true 
characters, in all their deformity of soul and all their 
corruption of heart, and to find that they inspire noth- 
ing but contempt and execration in all! 

We shudder at the mere thought of so great a mis- 
fortune. Let us, then, prevent it by avoiding every- 
thing that could sully our souls, and by seeking only 
what is pleasing to God. Let us cast away sin from 
us now, that it may not cling to us on the day of judg- 
ment. Let us humble ourselves during life, that we 
may escape humiliation after death. Let us serve God 
now with fidelity, inclining his mercy toward us, so 
that he may then spare us the frightful effects of his 
justice. Let us love Him during life as a Father and 
Friend, that we may not find in him after death an 
inexorable Judge. Let us suffer none but him to reign 
in our hearts and let us make it our delight to live 
with him, so that when time shall be no more we may 
not dread his coming in his majesty. 

PEAYER 

I tremble with fear, my God, when I transport 
myself in spirit to that ever-memorable spot, that val- 
ley of Jehoshaphat which thou hast chosen as the place 
where thou wilt solemnly pronounce sentence upon all 



180 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

mankind. I ask myself what place shall I occnpy there ? 
Shall it be at thy right hand or at thy left? Shall I 
await thee as my Father, my Friend, my Redeemer? 
Or shall I, alas ! look upon thee only as the avenger 
of my crimes? ... 

grant, I beseech thee, in thy mercy, that I may 
be faithful to thy precepts and love thee with all my 
heart and strength, so that my soul being adorned with 
Christian virtues, and strengthened by thy grace, I may 
say then with confidence, as I do now: Come, Lord 
Jesus^ come ! • 

Resume, page 178. 

What a spectacle is that of the risen dead! WTiat a 
meeting with their Judge ! What different sentiments 
prevail among the just and the wicked ! 

1. Behold the joy of the just: they expect their 
Father. 

2. Consider the terror of the wicked: they expect 
their Judge, the avenger of their crimes. 

3. The good shall say: ^"^Come, Lord Jesus, come.'^ 

4. The wicked shall call on the mountains to fall 
upon them, and hell to swallow them, to hide them 
from the eyes of the Supreme Judge. 

5. How the good shall rejoice over their conduct on 
earth! How the wicked shall bewail theirs! 

—And we, in what sentiments shall we expect the 
Sovereign Judge? 

1. Shall it be with joy or with terror? 

2. Shall we see in him the rewarder of our virtues? 

3. Shall we see in him the avenger of our crimes? 

4. With what sentiments shall we be animated? 

5. Our works will decide. 

^Apoc. xxii. 20. 



THIRTIETH MEDITATION 

THE NECESSITY OF THE GENERAL 
JUDGMENT 

He shall judge the world with justice and the people with 
his truth. — Ps. xcv. 13. 

CONSIDERATION 

Faith teaches us that besides the particular judg- 
ment which God pronounces upon the soul immediately 
after its separation from the body^, there will be also a 
general judgment, at which all men will be called upon 
to render a public and solemn account of each of their 
actions during life, and at which everything will be 
revealed to the whole universe. Moreover, this judg- 
ment is necessary to manifest to all men the wisdom, 
the goodness, and the justice of God in the affairs of 
this world. For man, in his ignorance and passion, 
dares summon God himself before the tribunal of weak 
human reason, and demand of him why he sometimes 
afflicts the just and leaves the guilty to triumph, why 
he gives abundance to some and scarcity to others. 
God^s motives for so doing wdll be revealed on this 
great day, and men will acknowledge that nothing in 
the dispensations of Providence was more according to 
rule and order than what appeared to them to be verit- 
able disorder. 

181 



182 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

But the general judgment is necessary not only to 
justify God's conduct in the events of this world, but 
also to dispense justice among men, to glorify the good 
and overwhelm the wicked with confusion. And, in 
fact, how many acts of virtue are there not of which 
only God has knowledge ! How many alms given by 
the right hand, of which the left hand knows nothing ! 
How many sacrifices offered to God in the depths of 
solitude remain unknown to men ! Would it be fitting 
that all these good actions should be hidden from men ; 
that those who did them should not receive glory and 
esteem in proportion to their efforts to conceal their 
virtues ? 

How many heroic sacrifices have drawn upon those 
who made them only opprobrium and injury ! How 
many pious souls, in recompense for their saintly lives, 
have had only mockeries and insults ! How many Jo- 
sephs, how many Susannahs have been cast into prison 
by justice, jealousy and hatred ! How many innocent 
persons have been treated as criminals, without ever 
having it in their power to prove their innocence ! How 
many noble actions have sunk into oblivion ! Can it 
be that all these injustices should lie hidden and be 
unatoned for by public honor done to those who had 
been their victims? 

Has the world ever understood the zeal of the apos- 
tles, the courage of the martyrs, the constancy of the 
confessors and virgins ? Have not the faithful serv- 
ants of Christ been treated at all times as outcasts of 
the world? It is, then, just that they be the more 
exalted and glorified, the more they have been mis- 
judged and despised. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 183 

On the other hand, it is equally just that the conduct 
of the wicked should be exhibited in its true colors; 
that the mask worn by the hypocrite to impose on the 
world should be torn away; that the many crimes done 
in secret;, bringing neither shame nor remorse to their 
authors^ should be revealed to the world; that he who 
gave scandal should be brought face to face with the 
victims of his misconduct, and receive from them the 
most bitter and stinging reproaches; that the apostle 
of error and falsehood should be confounded, and com- 
pelled in the presence of all men to do homage to 
truth. ^^Yes/^*say the Fathers of the Church, ^^it be- 
longs to the justice of God that there be a day on which 
the mysteries of iniquity will be unveiled, and the mask 
of hypocrisy raised, to show to the whole world all the 
baseness of sinners V^ 

All things will then be put in their proper place: 
innocence will be exalted and villainy confounded. 
This will be the last act in the great drama of the 
world, an act full of glory for the just, but of terror 
for the wicked ! Alas ! why do these unfortunates not 
realize this now? Why do they not make every effort 
to return to the ways of justice and persevere therein, 
and thus avoid the confusion which will otherwise 
overwhelm them on the last day? 

Men may deceive others; they may even deceive 
themselves; but God, from whom nothing is hidden, 
reads the innermost secrets of the heart, and on the 
last day he will make them manifest to all. I will dis- 
cover thy shame to thy face^ says he to the sinner. "I 
will unveil thy malice, thy infamy, and all the filth 
^Nahum iii. 5. 



184 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of thy corrupted heart and degraded soul; I will make 
thee known as thou art;, not only to those whose opin- 
ions thou mightest disregard^, but also to those whose 
favor thou wouldst wish to enjoy; to those whom thou 
hast so deceived by thy tricks and hypocrisy; that they 
have become the panegyrists of thy false virtue ... I 
will make thee known not only to these^ but also to thy 
relatives and friends^ to nations and kingdoms^ — in a 
word, to the whole universe. Yes, I will fix upon thee 
the eyes of all rational creatures, of angels and men and 
devils, and all will see into the most secret recesses of 
thy heart; they will see thee as thou art, not as thou 
shalt wish to appear/^ 

And he who speaks thus to the sinner is the searcher 
of hearts and reins!' He is not only Truth itself, but 
also Omnipotence: whatever he says is done at the 
hour and moment which he has appointed. If it be 
just that God should manifest to all men the merits 
of the elect and win the admiration of the whole uni- 
verse for their acts of virtue, it is also just that the 
conduct of sinners should be revealed. How many 
vices at present unknown and hidden from man, how 
many false virtues honored and proclaimed as genu- 
ine, will then he shown in their true colors! What a 
subject of shame and despair to sinners ! What means 
of escape will be left them on that terrible day? 

They shall say to the mountains, cover us; and to the 
hills, fall upon us^ to hide them from the eyes of God, 
the angels, and men. Useless prayers ! That God who, 
without consulting them, raised them from the dust and 
corruption of the tomb, to appear before his tribunal, 
iPs. vii. 10. -Osee x. 8; Luke xxiii. 30. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 185 

will know how to reveal^ in spite of them^ the depths 
of their hearty and as to manifest their iniquities to 
all men, as to overwhelm them with shame a thousand 
times more frightful than death itself. 

APPLICATION^ 

thou who, with no other witness than thyself, with 
no other reproaches than those of thy own conscience, 
canst not endure to think without shame of thy con- 
duct ; who hast not the courage to declare all thy faults 
at the tribunal of penance, or who dost hesitate to do 
so, while pride suffers not the words to pass thy lips; 
thou who takest so much care to hide thy sins from 
every eye, and dost become alarmed at the least danger 
of detection; who canst not endure to be suspected of 
a fault of any consequence, and who wouldst think thy- 
self lost if judged capable of what thou really hast 
done; what will be thy feelings when the Sovereign 
Judge will make known thy wickedness to all the 
world? How astonished will those be whose esteem 
thou hast sought ! What reproaches wilt thou not se- 
cure from those whom thou hast deceived! Open thy 
eyes now to the truth; think of what confusion may be 
thine on the last day, and prevent it by a sincere con- 
fession and a truly penitent life. 

PEAYEE 

How foolish would I be, my God, if, to escape a 
slight confusion before a priest bound to the most in- 
violable secrecy, I were to be insincere in confessing my 



186 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sins, and thus place myself under the necessity of hav- 
ing them reyealed to all men on the great day of 
judgment ! 

No, my God, I will not expose myself to the great 
humiliation and suffering which such conduct would 
bring upon me. I will confess my sins sincerely and 
with true contrition; I will watch over my senses, my 
thoughts, and my heart, so as never more to offend thee, 
but, on the contrary, to merit a share in the glory of 
thy elect. 

Resume, page 178. 

Besides the particular judgment, God has decreed a 
general judgment, to be preceded by the manifestation 
of consciences. He has decreed it : 

1. In order to fulfill the words of Jesus Christ: 
^^There is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed.^^ 

2. To make known to all men the order of his provi- 
dence towards each and all. 

3. To glorify the good and avenge them for the con- 
tempt and oppression of the wicked. 

4. To confound the wicked, and render them objects 
of the just contempt of angels and men. 

5. To pronounce before all mankind those two sen- 
tences which shall decide the everlasting destiny of all 
men, the equity of which each one shall acknowledge 
and proclaim. 

— -Penetrated with these truths, 

1. Let us adore the wisdom of God in appointing 
the general judgment. 

2. Let us prepare ourselves to receive favorable judg- 
ment. 

3. Let us make ourselves well known to our con- 
fessor^ and we shall not have to dread the manifestation 
of consciences. 

4. Let us repent sincerely of our faults, and they 
shall be forgotten. 

5. Let us avoid sin, for it is the only way to escape . 
the terrors of judgment. 



THIRTY-FIRST MEDITATION 
MANIFESTATION OP CONSCIENCES 

And all the churches shall know that I am he who search- 
eth the reins and hearts. — Apoc. ii. 23. 

CONSIDERATION 

All the nations of the universe being assembled in 
the place appointed for the general judgment^ the good 
at the right hand and the bad at the left^ the coming 
of the Sovereign Judge will be announced by a shining 
light which will go before him as if to enlighten his 
way; soon after, choirs of angels will proclaim his ap- 
proach; and last of all, he will appear with his cross, 
a thousand times more brilliant than the sun. Then 
every eye shall see him/ all men will behold him, but 
with what different feelings! The good will rejoice at 
his approach, like children at the coming of a loving 
father; the wicked will wither up with fear, for they 
will see in him only an inexorable Judge. 

happy friends of Jesus, continue in tranquillity; 
he is your King, and he is coming to associate you with 
him in his triumph and in his judgment of the world ! 
But you, men of sin, enemies of God, tremble, for be- 
hold the Lion of the tribe of Judali is coming to take 
vengeance on your crimes. Wliilst you were upon 

*Apoc. i. 7. 

187 



188 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

earth he was the Good Shepherd who called you, who 
went after you, who offered you his merits and the 
forgiveness of your sins; but you did not wish to own 
him, you renounced your Master and your God. Do 
you know him now? What think you now of his 
adorable Name, of his power, his greatness, and his ma- 
jesty? 

Meanwhile, Jesus, appointed by his Father Judge of 
the living and the dead, has taken his seat upon his 
throne of glory; the angels are around him, ready to 
execute his orders; the apostles are at his side; the 
martyrs, the confessors, the virgins, all the saints are 
in his presence in sweet contentment, and say to him 
with the most lively joy : Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain, to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and 
strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction!' And 
the Savior answers them: ^^Be you also, my elect, 
glorified for ever and ever; be blessed through all eter- 
nity! Fear not the opening of the book of life, for 
there is no stain in you ; you have profited by my merits, 
and washed your robes in the blood of the Lamb/^ 

Then turning to the vncked, he will say : ^^Sinners, 
enemies of my name and my gospel, reveal yourselves 
to every eye as you really are, vile slaves of passion; 
let your crimes be made manifest to the whole uni- 
verse! I told you that, were your sins red as scarlet, 
I should no more remember them if you but repented 
of them; and you would not repent. I invited you to 
do penance and be converted to me, and you obstinately 
continued in the ways of iniquity. I told you that all 
sins forgiven by my ministers were forgiven by me, 

^Apoc. v. 12, 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 189 

but through pride and human respect you would not 
take advantage of so salutary a remedy. Let your 
sins be this day revealed to the whole world ; you com- 
mitted them in secret^ let them now appear in the light 
of day/^ 

Then addressing the angels and the just at his right 
hand, he will say to them: ^'^Come and judge between 
me and my enemies. Behold the soul of that proud 
man, of that hypocrite who, under the guise of virtue, 
concealed from himself the wickedness of his conduct. 
Let all nations now be witnesses; let them see on one 
side all the graces which I lavished upon him, and on 
the other, all his malice and ingratitude. Look into 
the soul of that libertine and behold the filth with which 
he sullied it ; see in the soul of that impious and sacri- 
legious man all the vile ingratitude of his acts and 
conduct. They have all despised remorse; they have 
braved the terror of my judgments ; they have trampled 
on my blood. . . .^^ how great will be the shame of 
these unfortunate people ! How great their humiliation 
and despair! 

If, anticipating that terrible day, God were to make 
manifest to all eyes, at this very moment, the real state 
of our conscience, and make us known as we are to all 
those who esteem us most; or if, at least, he sent one 
of his servants to us, as he sent Xathan to David, and 
that messenger of God, enlightened from on high, ad- 
dressed us with that confidence which such certainty 
would give : ^^Behold what you have done, what you 
have said, on such a day at such an hour'^ — what con- 
fusion would be ours ! And yet such shame would be 
nothing in comparison with that which we shall have 



190 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

to undergo at the last day if we have the misfortune 
to die in mortal sin. For the Holy Scriptures teach 
us that on the great day of manifestation every one 
will know the truth. 

how many secret sins will then be revealed to all ! 
How many false virtues will appear in their true 
colors^ and overwhelm sinners with a shame which^ 
though more insupportable than hell itself, they will be 
forced to endure; for on that day there will be no 
remedy for so great a misfortune. They will have to 
confess all, to assent to all; every sinner, while cursing 
his fate^, will be obliged to proclaim aloud the justice 
of his sentence. 

Then from every side will be heard these words, pro- 
nounced with happiness and joy by the good, but with 
rage and fury by the wicked : Thou art just, Lord; 
and thy judgment is rights 

APPLICATION 

In what state shall we be on that great day of the 
manifestation of consciences? Shall we be glorified 
with the good, or with the wicked shall we be covered 
with confusion? Let us often reflect that all our ac- 
tion will then be laid bare before the eyes of all men; 
that even our most secret sins will be known to every 
one. Woe to us if they have not been effaced by the 
Sacrament of Penance ! Happy shall we be, on the 
contrary, if we have avoided sin, or if, after having 
committed it, we have obtained pardon and kept to the 
way of justice: for then we shall be admitted to par- 
^Ps. cxviii. 137. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 191 

ticipate in the glory of our Divine Head^ and shall 
shine with his splendor before the eyes of the whole 
world. Let^ then^, the thought of the last day animate 
us to struggle courageously against such feelings as 
pride might excite within us. 

Why should w^e seek glory here; why should we flee 
from the humiliations that come from men ? There is, 
in truth, only one glory worth seeking — that with 
which our Lord will surround his elect on the last day, 
and which they will enjoy forever. There is only one 
humiliation that should be feared; that which the 
wdcked will then receive, and which they must continue 
to endure forever in the abyss of hell. 

If we wish to share in the glory of the elect, and to 
escape the shame of the reprobate, we must faithfully 
discharge the duties incumbent upon us as Christians, 
as religious, and as teachers; so that, on that great 
day, the exact conformity of our conduct to the laws 
that govern as may be manifest to all. 

PEAYER 

It would be impossible for me, my God, to sur- 
vive the shame that I should experience didst thou ex- 
pose to the view of those with whom I live all the sins 
of my life ; my sins of thought, word, deed, and omis- 
sion; my sins against thy commandments, and the 
duties of my state; my sins against thee, against my 
neighbor and against myself. . . . And yet I must 
expect a still more painful revelation unless by a good 
confession, by true contrition and sincere repentance, I 
merit by thy goodness to have them forever blotted out. 



192 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

I come, then, my Divine Eedeemer, conjuring thee 
to give me a heartfelt sorrow for having offended thee, 
and a firm resolution to amend my life ; so that the 
many sins which I have committed may be forever 
effaced from thy memory. I ask thee this grace, through 
the intercession of Mary, the assured refuge of all peni- 
tent sinners, through whom I hope to obtain mercy. 

Resume, page 179. 

When all men shall be assembled, awaiting the Sov- 
ereign Judge, the manifestation of conscience will take 
place. 

1. All men shall see unveiled the conscience of each. 

2. What shame for the sensual ! What confusion for 
the proud! What exposure for hypocrites! 

3. On the contrary, what glory for the just, for the 
pure of heart, for the friends of Jesus Christ ! 

4. the folly of exposing ourselves to the supreme 
humiliation which shall then be the lot of the wicked ! 

5. the wisdom of so acting as to have on that day 
a pure or a purified conscience ! 

— Let us, then, be wise in time : 

1. Let us think often of that manifestation of con- 
science. 

2. Let us confess our sins with sincerity and con- 
trition. 

3. Let us really do penance for them. 

4. Let us avoid with care even the slightest faults. 

5. Let us acquit ourselves faithfully of our duties 
now so that on that great day our conduct may be seen 
to have conformed exactly to the law of God. 



THIRTY-SECOND MEDITATION 

THE TWO SENTENCES 

Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom pre- 
pared for you. . . . Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire. — Matt. xxv. 34, 41. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us^ in imagination, enter one of those courts 
where human justice is administered. Let us picture 
to ourselves the jury^ after hearing all the witnesses, 
retiring to prepare the verdict which is to decide the 
fate of the prisoner. Let us afterwards see them re- 
turn with all the solemnity that these proceedings re- 
quire. A profound silence follows their entry into 
court ; every ear is attentive to hear the sentence ; every 
one trembles as if it were to affect himself. 

But if such is the anxiety of those who have noth- 
ing to fear, what must be the terror of the unhappy 
criminal! In a moment more, and by a single word, 
his fate will be decided; he will be restored to liberty, 
if pronounced innocent ; but if found guilty, shame and 
ignominy, hardship and suffering must be his lot : per- 
haps he may be called upon to pay the penalty with his 
life. What then must be the agitation of his mind? 
And yet, what is at stake? His liberty, of which he 
may be deprived by life-long imprisonment ; or his life, 

193 



194 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

for the sentence of condemnation may anticipate the 
jDeriod of his death : but this premature death he maj^ if 
he will^ make profitable to himself throughout eternity. 

But who can conceive the anxiety of those who await 
the sentence of the Sovereign Judge? For the just are 
not merely to be restored to liberty or established in 
their good reputation before men, but to be placed in 
possession of an infinite happiness which nothing can 
disturb or diminish. And the wicked are not only to 
undergo punishment, or even meet death, for that must 
be met sooner or later by all men; but they are to be 
subjected to torments without limit in extent and dur- 
ation; to endure an eternal death, or rather a life a 
thousand times worse than the most cruel death; a life 
passed forever in the most agonizing sufferings and 
the most overwhelming despair. 

The sentences pronounced by men are not always 
irrevocable ; for on earth there are times of pardon and 
favor. The sentence pronounced by Jesus Christ will 
stand forever, and will be carried out to its fullest ex- 
tent. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the word 
of God shall not pass away; the elect shall be placed 
in a Paradise of pleasure and abide there for all eter- 
nity; the wicked shall be accursed and shall be hurled 
into hell, to remain there also for all eternity. The 
sentence pronounced upon them will be without appeal, 
without modification; its consequences will last for- 
ever ; the worm of a guilty conscience will gnaw at their 
hearts forever; fire will devour them forever; all good 
wiir be far removed from them forever; and they will 
have no inheritance but tears, misery, and despair. 

The sufferings to which criminals are condemned in 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 195 

this world are not without such alleviation as may be 
afforded by words of consolation and encouragement, or 
at least by expressions of pity and compassion. But 
no such favor will be shown to those unfortunates who 
are condemned by the Sovereign Judge. For them 
grief, torments and despair will be without alleviation. 
To suffer punishments far beyond the power of human 
mind to conceive, to suffer from all the inmates of that 
dark prison-house, to suffer even from themselves, — 
such will be their fate for eternitj'. 

The sentences passed by men are not always imme- 
diately executed; those passed by Jesus Christ will be 
carried instantaneously into effect. But to understand 
the principal difference between the sentences of men 
and those of our Lord, let us meditate on the words of 
the latter: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
ivorld!' That is to say : ^^Come, enter into possession 
of the Sovereign Good. You are blessed of my Father. 
While you were upon earth he poured forth his graces 
upon you, and you proved faithful to them; and now 
he gives you glory without measure, or rather he gives 
you himself, and makes you sharers of his power. Come, 
reign with me, and possess the kingdom which I have 
prepared for you, which I have conquered for you; 
come, enjoy that endless felicity which is the inheri- 
tance of my elect.^^ 

But as this blessing is full of consolation to the good, 
so does the other sentence terrify and overwhelm the 
wicked. 

Depart from me, ye cursed;' depart from me, in 
^Matt. XXV. 34. ^j^Iatt. xxv. 41. 



196 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

whom is centred all the happiness of creatures; depart 
from your God, depart from light, from repose, from 
peace, from all happiness. You have invoked upon 
yourselves a curse which has penetrated your very bones 
as oil penetrates a garment. Go, then, to the abodes 
of evil, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil whom 
you have chosen for your master; go, endure the pun- 
ishment which you have deserved.'^ 

Such are the sentences that will be pronounced on 
the day of judgment. Which of the two will determine 
our destiny? Will Christ says to us: Come, ye blessed 
of my Father, or Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever* 
lasting fire? 

Let us ask our works ; they will answer us. 

APPLICATION 

St. John Climachus relates that a religious of little 
fervor, having fallen dangerously sick, was in a vision 
summoned before the tribunal of God, and saw there 
such terrible things that when he returned to himself 
he could do nothing but sigh and weep. Having re- 
covered his health, he buried himself in a cave, where 
he remained day and night, with his eyes fixed on one 
object, always praying, weeping, and begging for mercy. 
After many years passed in the most austere penance, 
the religious seeing him about . to expire, begged him 
to speak some words of edification to them. Summon- 
ing then all the strength left him, he cried out : Never 
would man sin if lie hneiv what awaits him, at judg- 
ment, and with these words upon his lips he expired, 
leaving all his brethren in great fear and terror. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 197 

Let US reflect that the day will come when judgment 
will be for us no longer a mere subject for the exer- 
cise of imagination^ but a fact;, a reality, to be fol- 
lowed by eternal happiness if we are among the num- 
ber of the elect, but by everlasting misery, without any 
mixture of good, without any consolation, without any 
hope, if we have the misfortune to die in mortal sin. 

Let us, then, not force our Lord to pronounce sen- 
tence of malediction upon us, but rather give him the 
happiness of numbering us among his friends. Let us 
faithfully keep the law by which we shall be judged; 
that is to say, let us conform our conduct to the pre- 
cepts of the Gospel, and let us strictly observe our 
rules; let us expiate our sins by penance, and never 
more commit them. Let us love Jesus Christ with 
all our heart and with all our strength ; let us seek only 
to please him, and execute his wishes; let us be zeal- 
ous in making him known, loved, and served; let us 
devote ourselves to him in the person of our neighbor, 
who represents him in our regard. We shall thus de- 
serve to have that sentence pronounced upon us which 
will entitle us to go and reign with him in that king- 
dom where all is peace and joy and happiness. 

PEAYEE 

Jesus, who art all my hope, I entreat thee take 
pity on me. My soul is penetrated with the fear of thy 
judgments, and it finds confidence only in the thought 
that thou didst become man and die upon the cross to 
secure for me a favorable sentence. I hope that in 
thy goodness, my divine Eedeemer, after having 



198 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

made me pass through the fire of tribulation, thou wilt 
call me with the blessed of thy Father to that place of 
rest and light wherein all my desires will be consum- 
mated. This I ask of thee through the intercession of 
the ever Blessed Virgin, the angels, and the saints, 
whose happiness I ardently desire to share. Amen. 

Resume, page 179. 

Men are placed on the right and on the left of the 
Judge. 

He is about to pronounce the sentence which shall 
determine their lot. 

1. The sentence of benediction, calling to infinite 
happiness. 

2. The seirtence of malediction, condemning to in- 
finite misery. 

3. Jesus Christ shall say to the good: '^^Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared 
for you.^^ 

4. He shall say to the wicked : "^"^Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire.^' 

5. Which of these two sentences will he pronounce 
on us ? Let us interrogate our works. 

— Let us reflect that we ought : 

1. To keep faithfully the law of Jesus Christ. 

2. To expiate our sins by sincere penance. 

3. To attach ourselves to Jesus Christ by true char- 
ity. 

4. To seek only to please him. 

5. To devote ourselves to his service and that of our 
neighbor, his representative in our regard. 



THIRTY-THIRD MEDITATION 
THE LAST FAREWELL 

No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem. — Ps. xlviii. 8. 

CONSIDERATION 

Jesus Christ having, if we may so express it, given 
the nations assembled before him sufficient time to 
recognize one another, and read the secrets of one an- 
other's souls, will with great majesty seat himself upon 
his throne of glory, and looking around upon the mul- 
titude, will show them his cross, the pledge of his love 
for men, his divine wounds, b)^ which they were re- 
deemed, his holy law, which ought to have been their 
rule of conduct, and the means of salvation which he 
had placed at their disposal. He will remind each one 
of his particular duties, according to the state which 
he had embraced; and the religious in particular he 
will remind of the holy rules which they had promised 
to keep, and the graces which they had received to 
facilitate the accomplishment of their duty. 

To all he will show their obligations, and the helps 
given to fulfil them. Then great silence will fall upon 
that vast multitude, and turning towards the good with 
an air of sweetness, tenderness, and love that will fill 
them with consolation and happiness, the Sovereign 
Judge will say to them : "Come, you whom the world 

199 



200 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

rejected^ whom it thought unworthy of its favors; yea, 
whom it regarded as the dust beneath its feet, but 
whom I find worthy of admission to the kingdom of 
heaven. Like me you have suffered, like me will you 
triumph. You have been associated in my humilia- 
tions, you will share in my glory. You have followed 
me to Calvary, you will now follow me to heaven. 
Come, ye Messed of my Father, possess the Icing dom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world.^ 

Then turning to the wicked at his left hand, he will 
utter these terrible words : Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire^ "^^Depart from me, you who have 
insulted my cross and my humiliations, who have ridi- 
culed the truths which I made known to you, who have 
so often despised my promises, my threats, and my 
graces. Depart from me, you who were ashamed of my 
passion; who wanted courage to espouse my cause; 
and who, through a cowardly human respect, neglected 
the most sacred duties of religion. By your crimes 
you have destroyed the image of my father in your 
souls; you have sullied your bodies, which should have 
been the temples of the Holy Ghost ; you have abused 
my graces and all the means of salvation provided for 
3^ou. You would not recognize me as your God, your 
Model, your Savior, and I cannot now regard you as 
my disciples and my children. 

^^During life you placed between yourselves and me 
a wall of division which my graces failed to break 
down; now, in my turn, 1 will place between us an 
immense abyss which with all your efforts you will 
never be able to cross. After having been exalted, ad- 
^Matt XXV. 34. -Matt. xxv. 41. 



MEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 201 

mired^ and idolized by the worlds, behold^ curses are 
now heaped upon yon. Depart from me, for you are 
accursed; accursed by me, accursed by the angels and 
saints, accursed by yourselves ! For you there is now 
only an angry God, a God of vengeance. For you there 
is now no hope, no help, no end or diminution to your 
sufferings. Go into that everlasting fire which was 
prepared for the devil and his angels. You have imi- 
tated their rebellion, you shall be their inseparable com- 
panions in suffering. Begone into everlasting fire V^ 

After these two sentences have been solemnly pro- 
nounced, the elect will slowly ascend with Jesus Christ, 
while the reprobate will be obliged, in spite of them- 
selves, to behold them and realize how great is their 
own loss. misery ! they will indeed get a glimpse of 
heaven and its glory, but they shall have only hell await- 
ing them; they will feel an intense longing to possess 
God, and yet they shall be separated from him for- 
ever. 

They will then seek to implore the divine mercy, but 
prayer shall no longer be possible to them. They will 
try to address Mary, the refuge of sinners, but their 
sinful lips shall refuse to pronounce that holy name. 

Then will the words of the Book of Wisdom be ful- 
filled; for the wicked, seized with trouble and fear 
and torn with anguish, will exclaim : These are they 
whom we had some time in derision, and for a parable 
of reproach. We fools esteemed their life madness, 
and their end without honor. Behold, how they are 
numbered among the children of God, and their lot is 
among the saints. . . . What hath pride profited us; 
or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought 



202 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

US? All those things are passed away like a shadow. 
For the hope of the wicked is . . . as smoke which is 
tlown away with the wind.^ Then the son^ seeing his 
father^ and the father his son^ the daughter seeing her 
mother^ the friend seeing his friend ascend to heaven^ 
will ask for help and protection; but they will be an- 
swered that for them there is no longer father^ mother^, 
son^ or friend. 

Then these miserable creatures will cry out in rage 
and despair: '^'^Farewell, beautiful heaven^ which we 
shall never see ! Farewell^ happiness^, for which we 
were created^ but which we shall never possess; for we 
have lost thee through our own fault ! Farewell, friends 
and relatives, farewell forever ! You have imitated 
Jesus Christ, you have borne the cross, you have lived 
as saints; and we, fools that we were, have walked in 
the broad way, we have despised the counsels and ex- 
ample of our divine Master. We are lost, while you 
are saved. To you, then, be glory, while for us, alas ! 
there remain only torments.^^ 

Suddenly, like an inert mass, these wretched crea- 
tures shall be precipitated into the abyss of hell. The 
angel of God will then come to place the seal of eter- 
nity upon the gates of that fearful prison-house^ which 
shall never, never again be opened ! 

APPLICATION 

Let us reflect seriously that we must one day take 
part in that judgment. Will the great and omnipotent 
God then be to us a kind Father coming to meet his 
^Wisd. v. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 203 

children, or a stern Judge pronouncing sentence of 
condemnation on his enemies? Shall we hear from his 
lips words of blessing or of malediction? Shall we 
ascend with him to everlasting glory, or shall we be 
plunged with the devils in the inextinguishable flames 
of hell? 

Let these thoughts penetrate our souls, and awaken 
at once both confidence and fear. Let us often dwell 
upon them, above all when we are tempted to sin. Let 
us seriously ask ourselves what we shall wish to have 
done at the moment when the sentence will be pro- 
nounced that must determine our fate for eternity. Let 
us think of it when tempted to offend God, or to relax 
our fervor in the practice of our religious duties; let 
us remember that the sentence must be one either of 
infinite happiness or of infinite misery ! 

PEAYEE 

Penetrate me, my God, Avith so salutary a fear of 
thy judgment that I may dispose myself to prevent the 
rigor of thy justice. Inspire me not with a merely 
human fear, but with a Christian and supernatural 
fear; not with a servile and barren fear, but with a 
fear that is both filial and efficacious. L^t me fear 
thee, Lord, but let me also love thee. 

Yes, may I fear to do anything that might displease 
thee, and may I long to do and suffer everything that 
is conformed to thy will ! May I so fear and love 
thee that in place of the sentence of condemnation 
which I have so often merited, I may hear the con- 
soling words that will admit me with the just to the 



204 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

possession of that kingdom which thon hast prepared 
for them from the foundation of the world ! 

Resume, page 180. 

The sentence is pronounced: the just and the 
wicked must part^ and part forever ! 

1. The just ascend in glory with Jesus Christ. 

2. The wicked behold their departure. 

3. What desolation they then experience ! What des- 
pairing cries they utter ! 

4. Here a son sees his father ascending to heaven, 
and bids him farewell ! There a father and a mother 
behold their child going up to heaven^ and they bid 
him farewell ! 

5. Suddenly the damned are cast into hell ! 

— Let us reflect that we shall be present at the last 
farewell. 

1. What sentence shall then have been pronounced 
on us? 

2. Shall we ascend with Jesus Christ? 

3. Shall we be cast into the abyss of woe? 

4. Shall we bid an eternal farewell to the wicked in 
sentiments of gratitude to the God who has saved us? 

5. Or shall we bid God farewell in accents of sor- 
row and with tears of despair ? Let our conduct answer. 



THIRTY-FOURTH MEDITATION 

THE REALITY OF HELL 

The rich man also died ; and he was buried in hell. — 
Luke XV i. 22. 

CONSIDERATION 

There is a hell, there is a place of frightful torments, 
to which all those are condemned who die in the state 
of mortal sin. Faith teaches us this truth, and reason 
itself compels us to believe it. For since there is a 
God, and since this God is neither feared nor loved 
by some men; since he is even outraged by many; it 
is just and necessary that he inflict on them a punish- 
ment proportionate to the grievousness of their sin as 
a formal disobedience to his orders, a revolt against his 
supreme authority, and a treasonable outrage to his 
infinite majesty. 

Moreover, is it just that the future lot of the wicked 
be the same as that of the good? Is it just that he 
who denied the existence of God, or who constantly 
forgot, offended, and outraged him, be treated after 
death like him who was always faithful to God^s ser- 
vice, always most submissive to his orders, or who at 
least, after having offended him, humbled himself, con- 
fessed his sin, and did penance ? Is it just that he who 
during life blasphemed God's holy name, and never 

205 



206 MEDITATIOIS^S OX OUR LAST END 

asked forgiveness for his sin^ be treated like him who 
always pronounced it with respect and love? Is it just 
that he who refused to believe in Jesus Christy the 
Savior of men^ be treated like him who received his 
Gospel with docility and gratitude? Is it just that he 
who despised Christ's teaching and example be treated 
like him who strove to become his faithful disciple? 
By no means ! The sinful man and the virtuous man 
cannot be placed on the same footing; there must be 
an immense diiference in their future state; and there- 
fore^ while there is a heaven for the good^ there must 
be a hell for the wicked ! 

Libertines who dare say in their corrupted hearts, 
There is no God/ and who say it only because they 
feaT his power and his justice^ may perhaps, also, for 
the same reason^ affirm that there is no hell; but as the 
first blasphemy does not disprove the existence of God, 
so does the second fail to disprove the existence of hell. 
In vain do they deny this place of eternal torments; 
for they Avill thereby neither destroy its existence, nor 
save themselves from one day experiencing the terrible 
severity of its flames. 

Let impious, wretched unbelievers say, with a foolish 
and misplaced raillery, that they would like to be as- 
sured by some one from the other world that there is 
a hell. But we might ask them: ^^Has any one ever 
returned to assure you that there is not hell ?'' He who 
best knows what exists in the other world is God, and 
it is God himself who has revealed to us the existence 
of hell. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, has said : The 
rich man also died; arid he ivas hiiried in hell,^ Fear 
iPs. lii. 1. =Luke xvi. 22. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 207 

Mm that can destroy both soul and body in Jiell/ there 
their* ivorm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.' 
Nothing, then^ can justify the wicked in their persist- 
ent denial^ which^ moreover^ is opposed to universal 
belief. 

Yes^ there is a hell ; there is a place of torments pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels^, and also for their 
imitators; a dreadful prison^ whose walls of bronze are 
reddened by a fire that will never be extinguished; an 
abyss where nothing is seen but fire^ nothing breathed 
but fire, nothing experienced but fire ! This is the pool 
of fire and brimstone^ spoken of in the Apocalypse; 
this is the place described by holy Job as a land of 
misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and 
no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth.^ 

Let us^ who believe firmly the existence of hell and 
the reality of the sufferings endured there, look upon 
its fires as the most terrible instrument of vengeance 
created by a despised and outraged God. There he will 
one day shut up all his enemies^ to punish them ac- 
cording to their w^orks and the rigor of his justice; 
there he will withhold all manifestation of his love from 
men whom he made to his own image and likeness, but 
who, far from seeking to know, love, and serve him, 
had ignored and disobeyed him: there in his justice 
he will so appear to the ingrates who have despised 
his graces, his blessings, and his promises, that they 
may each exclaim with Job: Thou art changed to be 
cruel toward me, and in the hardness of thy hand thou 
art against me. Thou hast lifted me up, and set me 

^Matt. X. 28. ^Mark ix. 43, ^Apoc. xx. 9. *Job x. 22. 



208 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

as it were upon the wind; and thou hast mightily 
dashed me^ 

God^ indeed^ rewards as God^ but he also punishes 
as a God who is omnipotent and eternal: as an omni- 
potent God^ by inflicting the greatest torments upon 
the sinner; as an eternal God^ by inflicting those tor- 
ments forever. 

"How terrible are these reflections!^^ exclaims St. 
x\iig"iistine. "My brethren/^ adds this holy doctor^ "if 
I make 3^011 tremble by speaking thus to you, I myself 
have been the first to tremble. I do not pretend to 
inspire in you any other fear than what I experienced 
myself. I would try, on the contrary, to reassure you, 
could I myself feel some assurance; but I own I fear 
hell; I fear that place of punishment; I fear it, and 
I tremble at the very thought of it.^' 

APPLICATION 

Even if in place of being certain, the existence of 
hell were only probable, it would still be reasonable 
that we should do all in our power to avoid its tor- 
ments and to practise virtue at whatever cost. For it 
is thus that men act in other matters; they take the 
safest course. If, for instance, a hundred persons were 
to assure me that a certain road is infested by rob- 
bers or wild beasts, or that a certain drink is poisoned, 
and but one or two men assure me of the contrary, 
would I, therefore, reject the testimony of the former, 
and be guided by the latter? Certainly not; if wise, 

iJob XXX. 21, 22. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 209 

I would not go by that road^, I would not taste of that 
drink, but I would adopt the safer course. 

Why should we not act with the equal prudence in 
questions that regard the next world? Some wicked 
men, whose interest it is to deceive us, deny the exist- 
ence of hell; but in opposition to their statement we 
find the general belief of mankind, the teaching of 
the Church, the Avords of Jesus Christ, the precise texts 
of Holy Scripture. To give credit, under these cir- 
cumstances, to the denials of the wicked, and thus 
take the sure road to hell, would be the worst possible 
choice we could make; it would be inconceivable folly. 

But, thank God, we have faith, and believe that there 
is a hell; and yet, how does it happen that we expose 
ourselves to the danger of falling into it? Should 
this danger one day be realized, our folly would be 
equal to theirs who deny its existence; we would act 
like him who, finding himself on the brink of a fright- 
ful precipice, would be senseless enough to insult the 
only person that could save him from falling. 

Xo I no ! let us never commit sin, for we would then 
become objects of God^s vengeance. Let us not be such 
enemies to ourselves as to plunge headlong into those 
frightful abysses from which nothing ever rises save 
cries of agony and despair. 

Let us inspire our pupils with the fear of hell. Let 
us be zealous in helping them to avoid its pains. Ah ! 
if we love them, let us prove it by our care to pre- 
serve them from sin and its occasions, and to save 
them from ever falling into that bottomless pit, out 
of which there is no redemption. 



210 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

PEAYEE 

God of justice, who art also God of mercy and 
goodness, who dost threaten ns with thy anger to pre- 
vent US from experiencing its effects, pierce our hearts 
with terror of thy judgments, and make us understand 
what it is to become the object of thy vengeance. 

Jesus, could it be possible that after having so 
frequently experienced thy goodness, thy care and solici- 
tude, I should one day be rejected by thee, and con- 
demned to everlasting punishment ! 

No! no! my adorable Savior, this misfortune shall 
never be mine; I trust in thy grace, to which I am 
firmly resolved to correspond; I have confidence in thy 
love, whose salutary favors thou wilt still continue to 
me; and I place my trust in Mary, my good and 
gentle Mother, whose faithful servant I wish to be, 
and who, I feel assured, will never suffer me to perish. 

Resume, page 180. 

There is a hell. 

1. God is just ; he cannot treat in the same way those 
who die in his grace and those who die in enmity with 
him. 

2. Jesus Christ teaches, in the most formal manner, 
the existence of hell. 

3. The holy Scriptures contain a multitude of texts 
which instruct us in this truth. 

4. The people of all times and of all countries have 
believed in hell. 

5. Eeason unites with religion and the authority 
of men in proclaiming this dogma. 

"WTiat folly, then, what blindness in those who dare 
to deny that there is a hell ! 

— As to us, who are convinced of its existence. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 211 

1. Let US reanimate our sentiments of faith on this 
subject. 

2. Let us meditate seriously on hell. 

3. Let us fear it supremely. 

4. Let us take every means of avoiding it. 

5. Let us be zealous to make our pupils avoid it. 



THIRTY-FIFTH MEDITATION 
THE TORMENTS OF HELL 

I am tormented in this flame. — Lnke xvi. 24. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The greatest afflictions, the severest hardships, the 
most unheard of sufferings that can befall us in this 
world are never without some alleviation, without some 
subject for consolation, without some occasional relief. 
They do not come all at once upon the same individ- 
ual; they do not always afflict body and soul at the 
same time; they do not leave us without some hope 
of a better future; or if they are to be life-long, then 
the idea of death is not without consolation to the 
mind, and the hope of another and happier life makes 
us look upon our sufferings here as a source of bless- 
ings and as the foundation of endless happiness in 
heaven. Thus it is that no sufferings of this life can 
ever constitute an absolute and unalloyed evil. But it 
is not so in eternity : the damned will endure the most 
intolerable sufferings without any alleviation for the 
present or hope for the future; they will endure them 
all at the same instant; they will suffer both in soul 
and body; they will have no consolation, not even the 
power of turning their thoughts aside one moment 
from the evils that weigh so heavily upon them. 

212 



MEDITATIOlSrS OX OUR LAST END 213 

^^There/' says the author of the ^^^Imitation/'' the sloth- 
ful will be pricked with burning goads, the gluttonous 
tormented with extreme hunger and thirst; there the 
luxurious and the lovers of pleasure will have burning 
pitch and fetid sulphur rained upon them; and the 
envious, like rabid dogs, will howl for grief. There 
will be no vice but will have its own peculiar torment. 
There the proud will be filled with all confusion, and 
the avaricious pinched with the most miserable want/^ 

There will be put in execution those terrible threats 
written in the Sacred Books against the enemies of 
God. As much as she hath glorified herself^ and hath 
been in delicacies^ so much torment and sorrow give 
unto her^ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God.^ The vengeance on the fiesh of the 
ungodly is fire and worms!^ The sinner shall gnash 
with his teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked 
shall perish^ 

All sufferings will be found in this frightful abode, 
which is reserved for the enemies of God: hunger the 
most gnamng, thirst the most burning, cold the most 
intense, heat the most intolerable, fire the most active, 
grief the most bitter, shame the most overwhelming, 
sufferings the most cruel, agony of soul the most ex- 
cruciating, all these will be found there at once, with- 
out any mixture of good, without any hope or con- 
solation. Ah! how terrified we should be while medi- 
tating on the torments of hell; on that fire which will 
never be extinguished, that fire which will burn both 

^Bk. I. Chap. xxiv. 3, 4. ^^poc. xviii. 7. ^Heb. x. 31. 
*Eccl. vii. 19. ^Ps. cxi. 10. 



214 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

soul and bodj' without destroying or consuming them^ 
that fire which^, as St. Augustine says^ ^'^will rage with 
fury against all the senses and all the faculties of the 
soul^ in proportion to the extent of their participation 
in sin V^ 

what a difference between that fire and ours^ be- 
tween the reality and the shadow! Ours is quickly 
consumed ; that of hell^ though infinitely more intense, 
1)urns forever, and is never diminished. Ours gives light, 
that of hell produces only a sombre glare, more fright- 
ful than darkness itself. Ours causes only one kind of 
suffering; that of hell causes all kinds of suffering at 
once. Our fire is an effect of God^s bounty, that of 
hell is the instrument of his vengeance. 

Who is the man, however ambitious he may be, who, 
to gain a kingdom, would consent to burn in a slow 
fire for a month, or even for a day? There is not 
one, nor could any one be found who possessed the use 
of reason. How inconceivable, then, is the folly of 
the wicked who, to gratify their miserable passions, 
consent to burn forever in the devouring flames of hell ! 

One^s company in hell will be a new source of grief, 
sufferings, and despair. All the criminals that have 
ever been upon earth, and that have died in their sins, 
murderers, robbers, monsters of every kind, will be 
there assembled. In their rage they will tear one an- 
other, like angry dogs. The father will curse his son, 
the son will curse his father ; the mother will curse her 
daughter, the daughter will curse her mother; friend, 
irritated against friend, will make him responsible for 



MEDITATION'S OX OUR LAST EXD 215 

his own miserable fate, and will call down upon him 
a thousand tortures. 

WTiat a hideous picture^ what a frightful chaos will 
be presented by the frenzied madness^ the cries of rage 
and the bowlings of that vast multitude^ with which 
myriads of devils will be associated ! God ! what an 
assemblage ! What a terrible fate ! 

x\nd to these woes will be added an overwhelming 
despair^ the ever present thought that all this can have 
no end^ no diminution ! Unceasingly will these deso- 
lating words of the damned ring in their ears : ''For- 
ever! never r forever to suffer, forever to weep, for- 
ever to burn ; forever ! forever ! Never to know what 
pity is ! j^ever to see one ray of hope ! Unceasingly 
will each repeat to himself: ^'^I am damned, and 
damned forever ! I suffer all possible evils, and I shall 
suffer them forever ! God^s arm weighs heavy upon 
me; on me he has heaped suffering in proportion to 
my guilt; and forever shall his arm crush me; forever 
shall this sea of fire inundate my soul, penetrate my 
senses, and burn my body!^^ 

In vain will the damned call upon death and anni- 
hilation; their only answer will be these harrowing 
words: ^^Fire, grief, and despair must be yours for 
eternity; you shall he tormented day and night, forever 
and every 

In a word, no species of suffering, torment, and 
agony of soul will be wanting in that abode of horror ; 
nor will there be any mixture of consolation, any the 
least hope of a future less gloomy and terrible! 
^Apoc. XX. 10. 



216 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 

APPLICATION 

Even to gain a throne we would not consent to pass 
an hour in that earthly fire which God created to sup- 
ply our wants; and yet, we expose ourselves every day 
to the danger of being cast into the furnace heated by 
his anger, and to be cast in, not for one hour, but for 
eternity. And this we do, not to gain a throne, but for 
something far more contemptible: for a vile passion, 
for the pleasure of a moment, for the incense of praise 
and empty adulation. Is not such conduct almost in- 
conceivable? Where is our faith? A^Tiere is our com- 
mon sense? Which of you, says one of the prophets, 
can dwell with devouring firef Ah! when the devil, 
the world, and the flesh tempt us to sin, let us think 
that God addresses to us these words of the prophet; 
and before deliberating whether we shall consent to 
sin, let us ask ourselves whether we are willing to dwell 
for eternity in that fire kindled by God^s anger, kept 
alive by his omnipotence, and applied by his infinite 
justice. 

This was the method made use of by St. Martinian 
to triumph over temptation. Being solicited to com- 
mit a grievous crime, he kindled a fire, put his feet 
in it, and in the excess of his suffering, cried out : "If 
I cannot endure this weak fire at my feet for an in- 
stant, how could I endure that of hell, in my whole 
body and for all eternity?'^ To every fresh temptation 
he opposed this answer : "I dread the fire.^^ 

Like him, let us dread the fire; yes, let us dread the 

^Isai. xxxiii. 14. . 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 317 

fire of hell^ whose torments are beyond the power of 
language to express or even of imagination to picture. 

PEAYER 

Take pity on me, my God, for I am penetrated 
with fear at the contemplation of the severity of thy 
justice, and with terror of heart I think of the misfor^ 
tune of those who have died in mortal sin. Alas ! were 
it not for thy infinite goodness and thy merciful pa- 
tience, should I not long ago have shared their fright- 
ful fate? Should I not, like so many others, have 
been struck down by death, at a time when I was thy 
enemy ? 

Blessed be thou, tender Father, who hast not 
ceased to w^ait for me, and who hast given me the grace 
of reconciliation. Help me to preserve that inestimable 
grace, that my soul may be adorned with it when I shall 
appear before thee, and that thus I may be admitted 
in heaven into the company of the penitent saints, 
where I may thank thee forever, for having preserved 
me from the endless remorse and the awful torments 
of hell. 

Resume, page 181. 

Hell is the assemblage of all evils and the privation 
of all good. 

1. There each crime has its particular torment. 

2. There sorrow and despair reign supreme. 

3. There is a devouring and unquenchable fire. 

4. There all the wicked war upon one another. 
God, what a society! 



218 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

5. There the most cruel remorse devours hearts, 
there the gnawing worm never dies. 

— How can we think of these things and not be 

1. Seized with terror? 

2. Eager to implore the divine mercy, begging our 
Lord to take pity on us? 

3. Eesolved to sacrifice all in order to avoid hell? 

4. Penetrated with horror of mortal sin, which 
opens this abyss? 

5. Animated with the greatest zeal to induce our 
pupils to fly from sin, and thus to avoid everlasting 
fire? 



THIRTY-SIXTH MEDITATION 
THE HELL OP THE SOUL 

Fear bim that can destroy both soul and body in hell. — 
Matt. X. 28. 

CONSIDERATION 

During life the sinner seems to think it a small 
matter to lose God, he seems to believe that even after 
death he will easily be content not to see, love, and pos- 
sess him ; but oh ! how cruelly will he be undeceived 
on the day of his death ! For when the soul has been 
separated from the body, it finds itself in new and very 
different circumstances; it has ceased to have rela- 
tions with the material world which heretofore occu- 
pied its thoughts and diverted them from God, and it 
acquires such a knowledge of his perfections, his sov- 
ereign goodness and infinite beauty, that it is moved 
by a desire to see and possess him, so strong, so ardent, 
and so vehement that nothing less can satisfy it. Then 
does it understand that being created for God, who 
alone is its end, its life, its all, no suffering can equal 
that of being separated from him. 

But if it is in the state of mortal sin, it sees clearly 
that it is absolutely unworthy of being united to the 
Supreme Good; that consequently it can never possess 
him; and this thought brings with it a weight of mis- 

219 



220 - MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ery beyond the power of language or of imagination to 
picture; it inflicts upon the soul suffering far more 
intolerable than that caused by the flames that de- 
vour it. 

Impelled by its desire to see God, it struggles to 
rise above the flames of hell, till the thought of his 
holiness and its own guilt plunges it again into the 
fiery abyss. Again, impelled by the same desire, it 
moves upwards, but in vain; never can it behold that 
God so good, so beautiful, so worthy of love, for whom 
it was created, but by whom it has been rejected for- 
ever. This separation is to it a subject of the most 
profound grief, the most poignant despair. Always 
longing to possess God, and never able to attain him; 
consumed with longing that is as insatiable as it is 
unending ! wretched fate ! unspeakable misery 
of the unfortunate soul in hell ! 

All the powers of that miserable soul seem concen- 
trated upon the work of torturing it; memory unceas- 
ingly recalls to it the end for which it was created, the 
graces, the helps without number which it received to 
gain that end, and the abuse which it made of all these 
means of salvation. ^^Ah! had I but wished,'^ it ex- 
claims, ^^I need not have been in this place of torments ! 
If on such a day, at such an hour, I had heeded the 
charitable voice that called me to God, and the stings 
of conscience that admonished me to repent, to con- 
fess my sins, and shun in future that occasion of sin; 
had I corresponded to the abundant graces that were 
always urging me to a life of virtue, I should not 
be where I now am. But, alas ! I rejected all. I might 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 221 

have been happy^, infinitely happy, and now my inheri- 
tance is endless misery ?^ 

The understanding gives that nnhappy soul a true 
knowledge of heaven and of hell^ of all that it is^ and 
all that it might have been had it consented to do the 
will of God; and the thought of all this is in itself a 
torture too horrible to be conceived. Ah! who can im- 
agine the agony of a damned soiil when it thinks of 
the unutterable happiness which it has lost, and the 
numberless and fearful suflferings that must be its fate 
forever? It thinks of the little effort once requisite 
to secure its salvation; of the little that God asked of 
it, of the nothingness of the goods and honors of the 
world which it preferred to the only real blessings, 
the only ones capable of satisfying man; and with a 
feeling of the most bitter and poignant regret, it ex- 
claims: ^^Alas! for how little have I thrown myself 
away ! Oh ! how blind, how foolish I have been V^ 

The unfortunate soul is naturally and irresistibly 
impelled to quit that place of torments, and soar to 
heaven; but because of the weight of its iniquities, and 
because of its being forever confirmed in evil, it must 
remain far from God, a prey to his vengeance. This 
absolute necessity of always wishing without ever being 
able to accomplish its wishes causes in that wretched 
soul an ebb and flow of anger, rage, and despair, which 
no human tongue can describe, no created understand- 
ing can comprehend. And this torment, like all the 
other torments of the damned, will last for ages and 
ages, never changing, never diminishing through 
eternity. 

The unhappy soul calls upon death, but it knows that 



223 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

it was created never to die; fain would it wish to pos- 
sess God, yet it remains forever fixed in its prison^ 
desirous of ascending to him, yet powerless to do so; 
longing to behold him, yet knowing that its wish can 
never be accomplished. Oh ! what an endless source of 
misery is comprised in this! 

Conscience, too, is devoured meanwhile by unceasing 
remorse! "It is by my own fault,^^ says the unhappy 
soul, "that I suffer, and shall suffer forever; it was 
my own free choice; I might have gone to heaven, and 
I preferred to go to hell! Neither grace, nor salutary 
counsel, nor good example was wanting to me; I had 
all I needed, but, alas ! I proved false to my ov/n true 
interests/^ 

how hard it must be thus to feel and confess an 
irreparable wrong! To be pitied in misfortune, or 
even to feel that the misfortune was inevitable, is al- 
ways a comfort; but to be cursed, and to curse oneself 
as the guilty author of one^s sufferings, is overwhelm- 
ing in its terror. This indeed is the worm that dieth 
not, the worm that will forever gnaw at the heart of 
the reprobate. 

APPLICATION 

Do we wish that, after death, our souls should not 
be consigned to torture the very thought of which makes 
our blood run cold? Let us, then, take care to keep 
them free from sin, and to adorn them with virtues 
worthy of our holy state. 

We shall keep our souls unblemished if we watch 
over our senses; if we mortify them; if we recite our 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 223 

prayers with attention; if we draw from the sacra- 
ments all the fruits which they ought to produce^ and 
if we acquit ourselves with exactitude and from mo- 
tives of faith;, of the obligations of our holy calling. 

The faculties of our soul will not be a source of tor- 
ment for eternity^ if in this world we sanctify them 
by applying them to such things as can benefit us; if, 
for example, we make use of our memory to recall God's 
goodness to us, and his salutary lessons; of our under- 
standing to comprehend our duties to God, our neigh- 
bor, and ourselves; of our will to resist with energy 
every temptation; and of our conscience to check our 
first steps on the road to destruction. Ifot only will 
these faculties then cause no torment to the soul, but 
each of them will afford it ineffable consolations in 
heaven, where God himself wdll be its reward. 

Ah ! if as often as the soul were oppressed wdth or 
weighed down by discouragement, our memory would 
present to its contemplation the thought of an eternity 
of happiness or misery, w^hat strength should we not 
feel to fight bravely the enemies of our salvation ! With 
what energy would we labor to secure infinite happi- 
ness, and to escape the frightful sufferings of the soul 
that has lost its God! 

PEAYER 

God, who art infinitely merciful to the soul that 
sincerely seeks thee and chooses thee for its inheritance, 
behold me humbly prostrate at thy feet, begging thee 
to cast one glance of pity on my poor soul which 
trembles at the thought of thy justice, and wishes to 



224 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sever every tie that binds it to this earth. It comes to 
thee^ impelled by a strong desire to accomplish thy 
adorable will in all things, and thus attain the happi- 
ness of being forever united to thee. 

Deign^ I conjure thee, to satisfy this desire: unite 
me to thee, henceforth and forever. If ever the senses 
should wish to tyrannize over my soul, come to my 
assistance, or rather do thou fight for me^ remember- 
ing that I am thy property and belong entirely to 
thee. I now renew the offering which I have so often 
made to thee of my soul and its faculties. Oh ! do not 
reject it because of my past inconstancy; and when, at 
the hour of death, my soul shall appear before thee, 
receive it into the bosom of thy loving mercy. I ask 
these favors through the intercession of the ever Blessed 
Virgin and St. Joseph, whom the Church invokes as 
the Patrons of a happy death. 

Resume, page 181. 

What torments can compare with those of the repro- 
bate soul? 

1. It feels the most absolute need of God. Charmed 
with his perfections, it naturally seeks him, and, un- 
ceasingly repulsed, falls back into the abyss. 

2. It longs for heaven, and heaven is closed against it ! 

3. Hell fills it with horror, and there it must re- 
main! 

4. Its memory recalls its crimes; its understanding 
conceives the good which it has lost; its heart is a 
prey to cruel remorse. 

5. And these torments are eternal ! 

Who, then, my God, could think of these terrible 
truths and dare offend thee? 

— As to us, who meditate on them, we will : 
1. Keep thy holy law. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 225 

2. Fly sin and the occasions of sin. 

3. Satisfy for those since which we have committed. 

4. Never cease to implore thy mercy. 

5. Proclaim the severity of thy justice, in order to 
fill with salutary fear the souls confided to us. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION 

THE HELL OF THE BODY 

They were cast alive into the pool of fire burning with 
brimstone. — Apoc. xix. 30. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The sinner makes use of his body^ as well as his soul^ 
to offend God; therefore God punishes both soul and 
body. It is true^ the soul is more criminal than the 
body, because it consents to the sin and orders it to 
be committed; but the body participates also, in being 
the instrument of these sinful desires, and in seeking 
and finding pleasure in sin: it is therefore just that 
it share in the punishment of the soul; and that after 
the general judgment it be tormented in each of its 
senses. 

Those eyes, which have so often brought death to the 
soul, will continually see through the lurid glare of the 
flames the indescribable horrors of that bottomless pit. 
They will see there the figures of the devils and the 
damned, spectres the most terrifying and repulsive that 
can be conceived. Those eyes that were sullied by im- 
pure glances will unceasingly pour forth burning tears, 
like liquid iron as it issues from the furnace. 

The ears will have their own peculiar torment. 
Every one of the damned will hear, through all eter- 

226 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 227 

nity, fearful shrieks^ frightful bowlings^ horrible blas- 
phemies^ from the millions of accursed who will be his 
companions in punishment, and many of whom will 
vomit forth fearful curses upon him. "Wretched chil- 
dren !" will the father and mother exclaim ; "it is on 
your account that we are in the midst of these devour- 
ing flames ; our curses be upon you V^ "Woe to you/^ 
will they answer ; "yes, a thousand times woe to you, ye 
unnatural parents, who have brought us into these 
frightful dungeons !. It was the bad education that you 
gave us, it was your wicked example that caused our 
ruin/^ "Accursed friend V^ will another exclaim ; "it 
was you that corrupted me; you brought me into the 
paths of sin, that led to the abyss into which I am now 
plunged/^ 

Thus will it be with all; and throwing themselves 
upon one another, they will tear one another like wild 
beasts. What language can describe how frightful and 
terrible will be the lamentations of the damned? How 
painful will be those soul-harrowing words which the 
sinner in hell will seem to hear throughout eternity: 
''Forever, never T Forever to live and forever to suf- 
fer; never to receive consolation, never to feel hope! 

The sense of smell will also have its own special 
torment; it will forever suffer from all that the imagi- 
nation could conceive as polluted, corrupt, and insup- 
portable. St. Bonaventure says that if the body of one 
of the damned was placed upon the earth it would 
spread pestilence over the whole world. What, then, 
must be the noisome odor arising from the bodies of 
all the damned together! And what a punishment 
must it be to breathe it forever ! 



228 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END . 

The tongues of the damned will be like plates of 
red-hot iron^ in punishment of all their impure or im- 
pious words; all their blasphemies against God and 
religion ; all their calumnies and falsehoods against their 
neighbor ! 

The palate of the reprobate will be parched with 
burning and insupportable thirst; they will sigh un- 
ceasingly for one drop of water^ and they shall never 
receive even that trifling relief ! 

Their hands will seek a support to enable them to 
rise above the flames^ but they will grasp nothing but 
fire. Their feet will tread upon fire, they will find no 
ground to walk upon but the red-hot floor of their 
prison ! 

That body which served as an instrument of sin will 
not only be encompassed by the fire of hell, but it will, 
so to say, be changed into fire; just as coal cast into a 
burning furnace soon ceases to be distinguishable from 
the fire itself ! 

Moreover, though natural fire has the power of 
consuming and destroying everything, the fire of hell 
will have the fearful power of preserving while it burns. 
Hence the bodies of the damned will always burn with 
the same heat, always experience the same suffering, 
without being either destroyed or even altered in their 
properties; they will be like coals intensely heated, al- 
ways burning and never diminishing. Oh! frightful, 
unimaginable suffering which the wicked must undergo 
in all its intensity and forever! 

The blood of the damned will circulate through their 
veins like molten brass, and the marrow in their bones 
will boil like lead in a crucible. For the damned every- 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 229 

thing will be fire; fire will jet from their eyes, from 
their ears, from their nostrils; while their very mouth 
will breathe forth flames! 

Nothing of which we can think equals the tortures to 
which their bodies will be subjected ; toothache however 
painful, nervous complaints however acute, fracture of 
bones or laceration of flesh is nothing, absolutely noth- 
ing, in comparison with the sufferings of the damned I 

One soul in hell suffers more in an hour than all 
the sufferings of the martyrs put together during the 
first three centuries of persecution; and yet, some of 
the martyrs had their bones broken on the rack ; others 
were sawed in two; some were crushed under enormous 
weights; some were burned in heated furnaces, and 
others at a slow fire ! Yes, the picture of all that they 
endured makes us shudder, and yet all their torments 
united on one damned soul would not equal the hell 
which it suffers ! 

APPLICATION 

Penetrated by the thought of hell, let us adore the 
justice of God and dread experiencing its rigors. Let 
us prevent this by giving ourselves up to a life of 
penance; for the more a man will flatter his flesh and 
spare it in this world, the more fuel is he gathering for 
the flames of hell. 

Man will be chastised most severely in those things 
in which he shall have most sinned ; every vice will find 
in hell its special torment; every sense will be pun- 
ished according to its own nature, and according to its 
share in the commission of sin. This is a truth of 



230 MEDITATIONS ON" OUR LAST END 

which we should never lose sight. If^ then, we really 
wish to avoid this frightful punishment^ let ns mor- 
tify onr eyeS;, let ns keep guard over our tongue^, let us 
watch over our senses lest they become instruments of 
sin; otherwise, we would be preparing them to become 
hereafter so many fire-brands in hell ! 

It iS;, above all, when we are tempted^, when we feel 
inclined to commit sin, that we should recall the 
thought of hell, and ask ourselves whether it is reason- 
able to offend God, and thus expose ourselves for a 
mementos pleasure to an eternity of suffering. 

Then it is we say to ourselves : *^Tould I dwell in 
that place of torments, in that fire kindled by the wrath 
of God? There are in hell souls that were consecrated 
to God in the religious state, perhaps in the very house 
in which I now live, and the cause of whose damnation 
is the kind of sin with which the devil now tempts me. 
Should I wish to share their torments after having 
imitated their crimes ?^^. 

PEAYEE 

my God, how foolish I should be if I were to pre- 
pare for myself an eternity of punishment, through my 
unwillingness to accept a few moments^ mortification, 
to endure some inconvenience for love of thee, to make 
some efforts to observe m)^ rule faithfully, and lead a 
life worthy of a religious. 

Henceforth, my God, I shall in thought go down 
into the pool of fire and brimstone, and see the place 
which I have merited by my sins; and while contem- 
plating it, I will mourn over the faults that made me 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 231 

deserve such a fate. But I will not be satisfied with 
knowing my many grievous sins; I will try to expiate 
them by a penance based on hope and love. 

Give me thy holy grace, my God, that by it I may 
be established in justice and persevere therein; and 
thus avoid the torments reserved for sinners. 

Resume, page 182. 

What torments of body the damned shall suffer ! 

1. Their eyes shall see only horrible objects. 

2. Their ears shall hear only blasphemies, reproaches, 
maledictions, and cries of rage. 

3. Their sense of smell shall be unceasingly af- 
fected by an insupportable stench; their taste, by all 
sorts of bitterness and a devouring thirst. 

4. All their members shall be steeped in fire. 

5. The fire which surrounds them, shall be likewise 
within them, penetrating even to the marrow of their 
bones, burning their entrails, and devouring their hearts. 

— All this is frightful, and yet it is still far below 
the reality ! Meditating thereon : 

1. Let us adore the divine justice. 

2. Let us excite in ourselves the fear of hell. 

3. Let us ask ourselves if we have not deserved its 
torments. 

4. Let us interrogate our works. 

5. Let us abandon sin and do penance, in order that 
we may avoid these frightful torments. 



THIRTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION 

THE ETERNITY OF HELL 

Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire! — Matt. xxv. 41. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The greatest evils^ if of short duration, are often 
looked upon as insignificant; but less evils, if of long 
duration, are not infrequently considered great, some- 
times even very great; so that if they were never to 
have an end, they might seem to be almost infinite. 
What, then, must we think of those fearful universal 
sufferings which are everlasting? Yet such are the 
sufferings of the damned. 

Yes, their torments shall have no end, because God's 
mercy is shown in time, and for them time will he no 
more/ because when the wicked man is dead, there 
shall he no hope any more/ because out of hell there is 
no redemption, for there God's grace never enters; 
because the damned being confirmed in evil cannot re- 
turn to God, cannot repent of their offences, and con- 
sequently must remain in sin, the true cause of their 
sufferings. 

Their sufferings will never end. how terrifying is 
that thought ! As long as God shall be God, the 
damned shall be damned ; the pit of fire into which 

*Apoc. X. 6. ^FvoY. xi. 7. 

232 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 233 

they are cast shall last forever; the fire which devours 
them shall never be extinguished ; their souls shall never 
die; even their bodies shall be immortal; and the 
demons that torment them shall be immortal too. 
Since^ then^ everything that contributes to their suf- 
ferings is everlastings such also must their sufiEerings 
be. 

Increase^ if possible^ the sufferings of the damned 
as much as you please, prolong their duration as far 
as the mind can reach, but take from them their eter- 
nity, and hell will no longer be hell; its inmates will 
no longer be damned; because they will no longer be 
a prey to despair. Take away, on the other hand^ a 
great portion of the tortures of the damned, and leave 
to the remainder their eternity, hell will still exist for 
the reprobate. In spite of the diminution of their suf- 
ferings they will always be supremely miserable, for 
they know that their sufferings will never have an end. 

Eternity enters into all the sufferings of the damned. 
Could they only believe that their misery would not 
be eternal, or could they for one moment forget that it 
will last forever, for that one moment they would not 
suffer hell. 

To a damned soul eternity is like an immense globe 
under whose weight he is crushed; it touches him at 
only one point, but he feels the weight of the whole. 
^^The damned/^ says TertuUian, "endure at every in- 
stant the weight of a whole eternity.^^ The mind of 
every reprobate seems to conspire with the justice of 
God in adding to the torment. Every instant it keeps 
his future sufferings before him and thus makes them 
in a sense always present. Each of the lost suffers at 



234 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

every moment all that he fears^ he fears all that he fore- 
sees, and he foresees all the torments that he must en- 
dure throughout eternit3^ Yes, every instant he suffers 
the everlasting fire of hell, the eternal privation of God, 
all the horrors of a remorse that will gnaw at his 
heart forever. 

Forever ! never ! What terrible ideas the words sug- 
gest when they refer to hell! ISTever to have any of 
the happiness for which man longs; forever to experi- 
ence the sum of all the evils that it is possible to dread : 
forever to suffer, forever to despair : that is the state to 
which a damned soul is reduced; that is the eternity 
of hell. After as many millions of ages as there are 
grains of sand upon the sea-shore, and drops of water 
in the ocean, and atoms of oxygen in the air, a damned 
soul will be no farther advanced toward its goal than 
on the first day ; it will have only begun its eternity. 

Were one of the damned to shed a tear every thous- 
and years, he would not see the end of his eternity when 
he had filled a vessel as large and deep as the ocean. 
Gird the whole world with ciphers, count them, reckon- 
ing a century as the unit, even then you will not have 
eternity. Let an angel reduce the earth to grains of 
dust as fine as those that dance in the sunbeams; if 
each were reckoned a thousand years, their sum will not 
give eternity. 

Alas ! ages will pass away, but hell will never pass 
away. Gladly would all the damned say to God: ^^0 
Lord, increase our sufferings, make them last as long 
as thou wilt, provided thou at last put an end to them.^' 
But no, they shall never have an end. 

If the damned could only deceive themselves, saying 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 235 

in their hearts that perhajos God would one day take 
pity on them^ and either suffer them to die in those 
flames, or deliver them from their fury ! But no ! they 
are convinced of the contrarj^, and having his sentence 
of condemnation constantly before his eyes, each of 
them is forced to cry out : ^^All the suffering that I 
undergo, my anguish of soul and this devouring fire 
shall never end, never ! no, never ! I know it, I feel it. 
It is a fact ; they must last forever/^ 

Forever I Eternity! Eternity of hell, how dost 
thou inspire both fear and horror ! And yet there are 
men who believe these truths and are lost. folly ! 
madness, thus to work against their own true interests ! 

APPLICATION 



Christians !" exclaims St. John Chrysostom, 
whatever your state of life may be, think of the worm 
that never dies, of the fire that will never be extin- 
guished, and you will no longer find your temptations 
insurmountable, or the commandments of God hard to 
keep/' 

To vanquish a temptation, to obey a commandment, 
one must do violence to himself; but this pain is noth- 
ing to what he would deserve if he neglected his duty. 

Like St. Aloysius Gonzaga, let us often ask our- 
selves, particularly when harassed by difficulty, ^^What 
is this compared to eternity ?'' The least pain, if 
constant, makes us impatient and irritable; the sting 
of an insect, a constrained position, a trifling but un- 
interrupted pain is sufficient to annoy us. What, then, 
must be the fire of hell, the despair of hell, all the 



i£. 



236 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

torments of hell united bearing down with all their 
weight upon one poor wretch forever ? 

Who^ even to become a king, would consent to burn 
for one day? or to suffer the pricking of a thorn day 
and night for twenty years? Fools that we are, we 
consent to suffer for eternity torments infinitely worse 
than that, and for one mementos pleasure, for a slight 
and sometimes even a shameful gratification !- Let us 
henceforth be wise; let us learn to appreciate things 
at their true value: temporal things as temporal; 
eternal things by the importance they derive from 
their eternity. 

PRAYEE 

Suffer me, Lord, whilst fearing the eternal chas- 
tisements inflicted upon sinners, to obtain from thy 
goodness, both mercy and pardon. Let me pay here all 
my debts to thy divine justice; but save me from those 
devouring flames that can never appease thy justice. 
I confess that a hundred and a thousand times I 
have deserved to be plunged therein. 

But since thou hast spared me hitherto, complete thy 
work in me, continue to exercise upon me that ineffa- 
ble mercy whose salutary effects I have so often ex- 
perienced. I desire to reform all that displeases thee 
in my conduct, and to perform a penance proportion- 
ate to the number and grievousness of my offences. I 
will often go down in spirit into hell during life, that 
I may not go thither after death. 

Grant, my God, that the sacred fire of thy love 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 237 

may be enkindled in my hearty and that it may burn 
with that fire through time and eternity. 

Resume, page 182. 

The torments of the damned last forever: 

1. Jesus has said to them: '^^Depart into everlasting 
fire.^^ 

2. The mercy of God is exercised in time; but for 
the damned time has ceased to exist. 

3. To be delivered it would be necessary for them 
to repent of their sins by an effect of grace and through 
a motive of love; but in hell there is no grace^ no 
love. 

4. To suffer forever^ and to have one's suffering con- 
stantly present to one's mind — w^hat a fate ! 

5. Who can form an idea of it? Let us suppose as 
many ages as there are drops of water in the sea^ grains 
of sands in the earthy or atoms in the entire universe ; 
yet not all this will express what eternity is. 

— what folly to expose one's self to the fires of 
hell! 

1. Let us fear those devouring flames. 

2. Let us dread that everlasting prison. 

3. Let us fear sin^ which casts body and soul into it. 

4. Let us fear tepidity, which leads to sin. 

5. Let us fear God^ whose justice is so terrible; and 
let us by our fidelity merit to experience only his 
aiercy. 



THIRTY-NINTH MEDITATION 

SENTIMENTS WHICH THE THOUGHT OF HELL 
OUGHT TO PRODUCE 

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. — 
Matt. viii. 12. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Consider what kind of place that must be which 
is destined to punish such as have not onW abused 
God^s giftS;, but also wished to live and die in their 
iniquities. To form an idea of this prison^ go down in 
spirit into that abode of horror and suffering where 
all torments unite and display an activity infinitely 
beyond our power to imagine. Descend into the fright- 
ful abode of those immense furnaces kindled by God's 
anger. Such is hell ! 

But who can comprehend what it is ? Who can form 
a just idea of that prison of fire prepared for the 
devil and his ^angels^ in which such as have died ene- 
mies of God shall be forever confined? 

Hell is a darksome prison, where nothing is seen 
but by the lurid light of the raging flames ! It is an 
immense abyss, which seems scarce able to hold the 
many victims hurled into it, where, heaped one upon 
another^ they shall be eternally sacrificed to the ven- 
geance and justice of God, without experiencing either 
rest or even a diminution of punishment. 

238 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 239 

There the wicked, being confirmed in evil^, shall 
cherish in their hearts no sentiments but those of 
hatred, rage, madness and despair. There, separated 
from him who is their last end, they shall have no 
power but that of suffering. Their memory will be 
unable to recall aught but what can torment them ; 
their understanding will grasp nothing but the extent 
of their wretchedness ; their will must unceasingly meet 
with contradiction, their senses will experience every 
kind of excruciating torture. 

You whose only thought is to flatter your passions 
and build up a fortune in this world, draw near to 
that place of torment ; look upon that pool of fire and 
brimstone into which all shall be cast who have for- 
saken the way of virtue to follow that of their corrupt 
inclinations. Eeflect also that those torments are as 
frightful in their nature and intensity as they are 
endless in duration. 

What folly will be yours, if for the enjoyment of 
forbidden pleasures, or through culpable indifference or 
base human respect, you will eventually be tormented 
there for ages and ages, — nay, for eternity ! Xow ex- 
amine your conscience. If you discover therein any 
mortal sin, were it but one, reflect that you ha^ e de- 
served all these punishments, and that God could just- 
ly have inflicted them upon you now. 

Be then grateful for his mercy to you, for not only 
has he refrained from casting j^ou into hell and ban- 
ishing you forever from his presence, but he has urged 
you to return to virtue, to do penance for your sins, to 
correspond to his graces, and thus merit heaven. 
what goodness I what charity ! 



240 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

But perhaps^ alas! far from profiting by his good- 
ness and charity, you have again relapsed into the same 
sins; perhaps at this very moment, mortal sin dwells 
in your heart, and makes it worthy of hell. If such 
be your wretched state, if you are in danger of falling 
into that abyss of fire^, act as one would who saw him- 
self on the brink of a precipice at the foot of which 
wild beasts were waiting to devour him ; or as one con- 
fined in a room surrounded by the flames of an immense 
conflagration. With what eagerness would he not 
stretch forth his hands to any one whom he thought 
able to save him! how humbly and earnestly would 
he not implore assistance ! 

And yet, were the body of thife unfortunate man to 
be burned by fire^ or devoured by starving wild beasts, 
such a fate would not, like damnation, be an infinite 
evil. But many there are who, the more reason they 
have to fear hell, look upon it with less dread and ap- 
prehension. Fools ! they take precautions against 
everything that can afflict them in this world. If they 
are in danger of losing their fortune, they spare no 
pains to save it; if they suffer some bodily indisposi- 
tion, they have recourse to a physician, take the reme- 
dies prescribed, however disagreeable, and submit if 
necessar)^ to a most painful operation ; all to gain a few 
days more of this miserable existence. But to save 
themselves from hell, to prevent the eternal ruin of 
their souls, they do nothing! They sleep when they 
should work; they go blindly forward, and perhaps 
with a smile upon their lips, plunge headlong into hell. 
Let us follow the advice of our Lord, who in his holy 
Gospel says to us: Fear not those that Jcill the body. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 241 

and cannot hill the soul; hut rather fear him that can 
destroy ioth soul and body in helV 

APPLICATION 

Let us fear hell^ but above all^ let us fear sin which 
alone can merit such punishment. At the thought of 
the sufferings of the damned^ of their undying re- 
morse, of their overwhelming despair, of the fire that 
penetrates their being and forever torments them, let 
us be convinced of God's terrible justice, and let us be 
wise enough to avert its rigor. Let us understand 
how important it is to follow the advice of the author 
of the ^'^Imitation :'^ "In all things look to thy end, and 
how thou shalt be able to stand before a severe Judge 
from whom nothing is hidden ; who takes no bribes nor 
receives excuses, but will judge that which is just. . 
. . . Why dost thou not provide for thyself against 
the day of judgment, when no man can be excused or 
defended by another, but every one shall have enough 
to do to answer for himself T^^ 

When the devil tempts us to sin, he removes from 
our minds all thought of hell; but let us recall it, and 
look upon it face to face. What command would we 
not have over ourselves if we were penetrated with 
this thought ! With what courage would we not fight 
against temptations! With what energy would we not 
trample them under foot if we thought that after 
yielding to that evil pleasure, after committing that 
sin, perhaps even while committing it, we might be 
hurled into the abyss of fire of unending torments ! Let 
^Matt. X. 28. ^Bk. I. Chap. xxiv. 1. 



242 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

US acquire wisdom, and learn from the misfortunes of 
others. Let us not wait to experience hell before mak- 
ing our decision, for then, alas! it would be too late to 
change ! 

PRAYER 

^^0 Lord/' said the royal prophet, ''pierce thou my 
flesh with thy fearf'^ It was because he understood, 
God, the necessity of that salutary fear to repress 
our corrupt nature, and resist the seductive pleasures 
of the senses. how absolutely necessary is this fear 
for me who am so weak, so beset by violent temptations ! 
Of thee, ' therefore, do I now ask it. Yes, penetrate 
me with thy fear ; fill me with dread of those frightful 
dungeons of hell which sin has dug beneath my feet, 
and from which thy mercy alone preserves me. 

I know, my dear Savior, that thou art powerful 
enough to preserve me, good enough never to abandon 
me. But because I am perpetually provoking thee by 
my offences, I have reason to dread thy divine justice. 
Alas ! when I look upon the number of sins by which 
my life has been sullied, have I not reason to regard 
myself as no better than those now suffering in the 
frightful dungeons of hell ? Come to my aid, Lord, 
and save me. Grant that, avoiding sin and persevering 
in virtue, I may hereafter praise in heaven thy infinite 
mercy, which has saved me from hell. 

Resume, page 183. 

Let us consider what hell is, and what torments are 
there endured. 

iPs. cxviii. 120. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 2-i3 

1. It is the prison of God's enemies where all pains 
are united. 

2. It is the fiery furnace kindled by his justice. 

3. It is the home of the most absolute despair. 

4. It is the abode of unending sorrow. 

5. It is the city of tears^ where only these words are 
heard : Woe ! eternal woe ! 

— Let us^ then^ comprehend : 

1. AMiat regrets devour those miserable souls who^ 
for a vile satisfaction^ have exchanged heaven for hell ! 

2. How terrible is the justice of God ! 

3. A\Tiat gratitude we owe him for not having struck 
us down when we were in mortal sin ! 

4. How we ought to fear and hate sin ! 

5. With what energy we must resist the temptations 
of the devil, who wishes to drag us with him into the 
abyss ! 



FORTIETH MEDITATION 

EXISTENCE OP PURGATORY 

He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. — 1 Cor. iii. 15. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The existence of purgatory is as certain as that of 
hell; it is an unquestionable truth of our holy religi^^n. 
The Churchy assisted by the Holy Ghost, and supported 
by revelation, teaches us that, to enter heaven im- 
mediately after death, the soul must be free from the 
guilt of every sin, however small, from every stain of 
imperfection, and must besides, have fully satisfied 
divine justice for sins already forgiven. On the other 
hand, she teaches us that the soul which at the hour of 
death was in the state of mortal sin, even though 
guilty of but one mortal sin, is condemned to the pun- 
ishments of hell. 

But between these two states of perfect purity and 
of mortal sin, there is a middle state in which the soul, 
without being grievously guilt j^, is yet sullied in the 
eyes of God, because it either has committed venial 
sins that are not yet pardoned, or has not fully ex- 
piated the guilt of its mortal sins. 

According to the teaching of the holy Fathers, the 
human race is intended to take the place of the mil- 

244 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 245 

lions of rebel angels who were cast out from heaven: 
there must then be a large number of persons who die 
in the state of sanctifying grace. But how many of 
them are perfectly pure ? How many of them have paid 
their full debt to God's justice ? The number is indeed 
small. 

How many are there who, when dying, though free 
from mortal sin, have no faults with which to re- 
proach themselves, no idle words, no indiscretions, no 
acts of impatience, no negligence in the discharge of 
duty, no distractions in prayer, etc? Is it not written: 
^^A just man shall fall seven times?'' How many also 
are there who at death have fully atoned for the sins 
that have been forgiven them? 

It is, then, certain that very few souls are admitted 
into heaven immediately after their departure from 
this world. Now, what is the lot of the others ? Heaven 
is closed to them, because nothing defiled can enter 
therein : hell is not to be their habitation, because they 
are not polluted by mortal sin. There must then be a 
place of expiation, intermediary between heaven and 
hell, wherein such souls will be purified of every stain, 
and will make complete satisfaction to divine justice. 

God's justice and his mercy both necessarily suppose 
a purgatory; moreover the Sacred Books refer in sev- 
eral places to this abode of expiation. Our Lord him- 
self alludes to it in the words: Amen, I say to thee, 
thou shalt not go out from thence till thou pay the last 
farthing^ and again in these: He that shall speak 
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not he forgiven him 
neither in this world, nor the world to comef for he 
^Matt. v. 26. ^Ibid. xii. 32. 



246 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

thereby gives us to understand that some sins will be 
forgiven after death. 

The doctrine of purgatory was professed even before 
the coming of Christ. Judas Machabeus prayed for 
his companions in arms who had died in battle, and 
offered up sacrifices of expiation for them. After men- 
tioning this fact, the sacred author adds: It is there- 
fore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the 
dead, that they may be loosed from siiis,^ 

The Church, who is infallible in her doctrine, teaches 
that the existence of purgatory is a dogma of our 
faith, and is continually reminding us of this truth. 
Many outside the Church have believed in the existence 
of a place of temporary expiation, wherein souls are 
purified before entering into heaven. In fact, it is a 
belief that is almost universal among Christians, and it 
corresponds to a natural instinct of the heart. 

Who among us has not had to mourn the death of 
persons dear to him ? Could we always be certain that 
they died perfectly free from sin, and that therefore 
they were admitted immediately into heaven? And 
if not, could we accept the frightful supposition that 
they were damned, and consequently banish the very 
thought of them from our minds ? No ! no ! we rather 
believed that they were detained for a time in a place 
of suffering, in which they were made worthy of the 
infinite happiness promised them, and from which our 
prayers, alms and mortifications, and above all the holy 
sacrifice of the Mass might hasten their release or at 
least diminish the severity of their sufferings. 

Thus our idea of God^s justice and goodness, the 
^2 Mach. xii. 46. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 247 

words of Jesus Christy the Holy Scriptures, the teach- 
ing of the Church, the common sentiment of mankind, 
and reason itself proclaim the existence of purgatory. 

APPLICATION 

Let us consider in the light of faith that place of 
suffering wherein, by many torments, the faults Avhich 
we so frequently commit and perhaps regard as trifles, 
are expiated. Let us, therefore, carefully avoid them. 
Let us cherish the resolution to keep ourselves pure in 
the eyes of God, that when he calls us to himself we 
may be admitted immediately to see him in his glory. 

Let us enter courageously on the practice of pen- 
ance ; let us expiate our sins in this life, that they may 
not condemn us in the next. Let us never forget that 
there is no comparison between the sufferings of this 
world and those of purgatory. Let us profit by all the 
means of satisfaction that our holy state furnishes; let 
us always strive to diminish our debts to God. 

Let us endure our purgatory here, by practising 
mortification and patiently submitting to the difficul- 
ties of our state of life, to the sicknesses and other trials 
which Providence may send us; and thus, by the grace 
of Jesus Christ, we shall become worthy of entering 
at the moment of death into the very happiness of 
heaven. For the same purpose, let us endeavor to 
gain as many indulgences as possible. Let us fre- 
quently draw from this treasure which to assist our 
weakness our good Mother has placed at our disposal. 
But let us not thinlv of ourselves only; let us think 



248 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

also of the souls in purgatory^ and let us pray for 
them. 

Let us teach our pupils this touching devotion^ which 
is so calculated to develop in their hearts sentiments of 
charity and piety; which is so pleasing to the heart of 
Jesus^ and so efficacious in consoling the poor souls who 
are its object, by shortening their sufferings, opening 
heaven to them, and thus making them our intercessors 
before God. 

PEAYEE 

Yes, I believe, my God, that thou hast appointed 
a place of expiation for those souls which, on leaving 
this world, are not sufficiently pure to be admitted at 
once into the courts of heaven. I believe also that, in 
that place of tears, their sufferings far exceed any ever 
experienced on earth. Yet at the same time I bless thy 
mercy while I fear thy justice. When the transgres- 
sions which I now consider trivial are seen by the light 
of the fires of purgatory, how deserving of the most 
bitter regret they will then appear to me! 

I thank thee, God of infinite goodness, for having 
taught me how careful I should be to efface from my 
soul every stain during the time of thy mercy, and how 
solicitous I should be to avoid everything that might 
in the least displease thee. I promise, with the assist- 
ance of thy grace, to repair the defects of my life, and 
from this moment so to live that I may justly hope to 
be received into thy arms, when I shall appear before 
thee. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 249 

Resume, page 183. 

The existence of purgatory is a fundamental truth. 

1. Nothing defiled enters heaven; but hell is for 
those who die in the state of mortal sin. Now, how 
many persons die in the state of grace without being 
perfectly pure ! There must, therefore, be a place where 
they are purified before being admitted into heaven. 

2. Jesus Christ teaches it when he speaks of sins that 
are remitted after death. 

3. The Old Testament establishes it in the Second 
Book of Machabees. 

4. The infallible Church has made it a dogma of 
faith. 

5. And outside of her communion, multitudes have 
believed in the existence of a temporary abode of expi- 
ation. 

— Let us believe in purgatory, and consequently, 

1. Let us avoid even the slightest venial sins. 

2. Let us do sincere penance for the sins of our past 
life. 

3. Let us endeavor to gain the indulgences of the 
Church. 

4. Let us pray for the faithful departed. 

5. Let us train our pupils in devotion to the souls in 
purgatory. 



FORTY-FIRST MEDITATION 

THE SUFFERINGS OF PURGATORY 

Why hidest thou thy face, and thinkest me thy enemy?— 
Job xiii. 24. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The most painful sickness, the most grievous disap- 
pointments^ even the sum of the most cruel torments 
borne by all the martyrs, racks that dislocated and 
broke their bones, wheels studded with iron teeth that 
tore their flesh, fire that burned to their very bones and 
wild beasts that devoured them, — not all these together 
can be compared with the sufferings of the souls con- 
fined in purgatory, who in that darksome prison en- 
dure, with the exception of despair, all the torments of 
the damned. 

The two principal sufferings of these holy souls are 
the pain of fire and the privation of the sight of God. 
And first of all the pain of fire. how terrible is 
this avenging fire kindled by the justice of God ! How 
excruciating is the suffering which it causes ! Pur- 
gatory would be a sort of hell, did not the love of God 
and the certainty of one day possessing him, support 
the poor souls in their sufferings ! No ! we cannot im- 
agine the pains of a soul plunged in fire, breathing 
nothing but fire, touching nothing but fire, buried in an 

250 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 251 

abyss of firc% without the power of leaving its prison or 
procuring any relief. 

Who could endure even the mere thought of 
keeping his foot or his hand in a great fire for several 
days^ or even for a few hours? Who could endure the 
thought of keeping therein not his hand only, but his 
whole body, supposing that, by a miracle of divine jus- 
tice, he was kept for years without dying or even losing 
any of his sensibility? And yet, this fire is only a 
feeble image of that of purgatory. how great, how 
terrible, how awful must be the sufferings of the souls 
that are confined in that prison! 

N^evertheless, fire is not the greatest suffering of 
these holy souls; the privation of the sight of God is 
far more painful. While entombed in its miserable 
body, and in general basing its judgment only on the 
testimony of our senses, the soul in this life under- 
stands very imperfectly the nature of God, and its rela- 
tions to him: and therefore the desire of seeing him 
and the pain of being separated from him make little 
impression upon it. Many persons even fall into so 
deplorable an error as to persuade themselves that if 
they could but enjoy the pleasures of this world they 
would be satisfied to live forever without seeing God. 
But as soon as the soul quits the body and all earthly 
things, it perceives that happiness is to be found only 
in the possession and love of God. To see Him is its 
most imperative want, and that separation from Him 
causes the greatest affliction. 

what are its emotions when it raises its eyes to 
the gate of the heavenly city, so long in opening to 
receive it? What sentiments fill and possess it when 



252 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

it pictures to itself the magnificence of the New Jeru- 
salem, the happiness of the Paradise to which it cannot 
yet be admitted : when it thinks of Mary, onr good 
Mother, whom it loves so fondly, and from whom it is 
still separated; when it thinks of its Savior, who with- 
holds it, until it has been perfectly purified, from the 
happiness of seeing his glory; when it thinks of the 
adorable Trinity for whom it knows that it was created, 
when it reflects on that Supreme Beauty which it most 
ardently longs to contemplate and possess, and which it 
cannot see, because it is still indebted to God^s justice ! 

The yearning of a new-born child for the arms of its 
mother, the regrets of a monarch who has lost his 
throne through his own fault, the wretchedness of a 
suicide to whom life is nothing but misery, all these 
are nothing in comparison to the yearnings of the soul 
to see its God and to possess the Sovereign Good, the 
necessary object of all its affections. 

if we could conceive the anguish of love that the 
souls in purgatory suffer for the uncreated Beauty 
towards which they are impelled, and from which they 
are still withheld; we should behold them, with eyes 
bathed in tears, looking upwards through the devour- 
ing flames towards heaven, while sighs of grief, in- 
flamed by ardent love, would break forth, moving us 
to the tenderest compassion. 

It is now we understand, Lord, that being created 
for thee alone we can find repose in none but thee. 
Thou art the centre of our affections, the sole object 
of our love; thou art all that our hearts desire. 
when shall we be allowed to behold thee ! ^Vhen shall 
we enjoy thy adorable presence, which alone consti^ 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 253 

tutes our happiness? When shall the veil be removed 
that hides the Holy of holies from our eyes? how 
we sigh for that happy moment! . . . From the 
depths I have cried to thee, Lord!'' deign to 
hear our fervent prayers, and end this anguish of sep- 
aration from thee, for we are languishing^, we are dying 
from the desire to possess thee; God, show us thy 
face and we shall be saved^ 

APPLICATION 

Let the thought of the inexpressible sufferings en- 
dured by the holy souls in purgatory move us to pray 
for them with all the fervor of which we are capable. 
Let us listen to their cry: ''Have pity on me, have pity 
on me, at least you my friends,^ You can help us^ you 
can supplicate God^s mercy in our behalf/^ 

Let us give ear to their entreaties and come to their 
assistance. Let us not only pray for them ourselves, 
but get others to pray for their deliverance. Let us 
urge our fellow religious and our pupils to remember 
them. Let us neglect nothing to revive and strengthen 
this devotion. Let us gain in their behalf as many 
indulgences as possible. 

Let us make it our serious care to avoid the suffer- 
ings that afflict them, by avoiding henceforth the small- 
est faults and doing all in our power to satisfy the 
justice of God for our past sins. 

how little we prize our own dearest interests, when 
to procure a mementos pleasure, to avoid a little trouble 
or a slight constraint, we commit multiplied and al- 
^Ps. cxxix. I. 2H3i(j^ Ixxix. 4. ^Job xix. 21. 



254 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

most daily faults which will cause us so much remorse 
in purgatory ! How little faith we manifest when the 
dread of that devouring fire and the thought of seeing 
ourselves deprived of the vision of God^ perhaps for 
years^ perhaps for ages^ make no impression upon us ! 
Sometimes we even shake off the thought of these 
sufferings^ and carry our temerity so far as to make 
them a pretext for living in tepidity^ for neglecting 
our duties^ and for continuing in the habit of venial 
sin. We shall do penance^, we say, in purgatory ! Fools 
that we are ! What we could here expiate by a tear, a 
slight mortification, a short prayer, we reserve for 
avenging fires and torments beyond the power of lan- 
guage to express. Where is our faith? where even is 
our reason ? Let us reform our conduct in this respect, 
and, by a pure and penitential life, merit to be ad- 
mitted immediately after death into the happiness of 
the saints, 

PEAYER 

God of all holiness and all justice, make me under- 
stand how great are the sufferings of purgatory. Alas ! 
while upon earth I do not realize how painful it is to be 
separated from thee; and yet this is really the greatest 
of all sufferings. 

Grant, my God, that I may come to understand 
this at least to some extent ; that I may cherish greater 
pity for the sufferings of those souls that are still denied 
the beatific vision; and that I may do what I can to 
give them relief. Inspire me with a great fear of one 
day enduring the same chastisement, so that from this 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 255 

day I may carefully avoid sin and do penance for all 
the faults I have had the misfortune to commit. 

Resume, page 184. 

How great are the pains of purgatory ! 

1. They incomparably surpass all that we can suffer 
in this world. 

2. The suffering souls are detained in a gloomy prison. 

3. An ardent fire devours them. 

4. What regrets do they not feel ! 

5. But of all their sorrows^, the most painful is to 
be deprived of the sight of God^ to be separated from 
that Supreme Beauty towards which they tend unceas- 
ingly. 

— how pitiable is their state ! 

1. Let us^ then, have compassion on them. 

2. Let us aid them by our prayers and good works. 

3. Let us induce our fellow religious and our pupils 
to help them. 

4. Let us gain all the indulgences we can in their 
behalf. 

5. Let us dread the fires of purgatory, and endeavor 
to merit- by a life of fervor, to be admitted into heaven 
immediately after death. 



FORTY-SECOND MEDITATION 

SUFFERINGS OF THE SOULS IN PURGATORY 
AT REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR FAULTS 

The hand of the Lord has touched me. — Job xix. 21. 
. COXSIDEEATION 

Let us picture in imagination the solemn moment 
when the soul of the just man, on leaving his body, 
appears before the tribunal of the Sovereign Judge. 
A wonderful transformation then takes place in it, saj^s 
St. Ambrose : it is encompassed by the Divine Majesty ; 
it sees everything in a new light ; it experiences a com- 
plete change of view, thought, desire, and affection. 

Understanding in a special manner how worthy God 
is of its love, and what happiness he procures for his 
elect, it feels an inconceivable longing for him and 
yearns for heaven in order to enjoy him and to 
share in his glory. But suddenly it is checked by an 
irresistible force, and hears these terrible words: ^^De- 
part, approach not; thou art not yet worthy of Para- 
dise ; first pass through the fires of purgatory.'^ 

Then forced to retire, and turning its gaze inward, 
the soul perceives all the faults of which it is guilty: 
it sees the stains not yet entirely effaced; it sees the 
graces and the inspirations which it neglected, the 
defects which it permitted in the discharge of its duties ; 

256 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 257 

it sees its distractions in prayer; in a word, a multitude 
of imperfections of which it had never thought, but 
which now compel it to be purified bj^ fire before enter- 
ing heaven. 

Who can describe or understand the suffering, the 
mortification, the agony of a soul when on its separa- 
tion from the body it appears before God, in whom it 
recognizes its Father, Creator, Eedeemer and Benefac- 
tor, its First Beginning and Last End, in whose pos- 
session it realizes that it can alone be happy, and yet 
knows that it cannot at once be united to him ! 

The sorrow of a loving child who, on returning to 
his father after a long absence, is repulsed at the very 
moment when he is about to throw himself into his 
arms, can give us but a ver}^ faint idea of the anguish 
of a soul that, because of its stains, cannot yet rest in 
God, the only object of its love. Then it realizes how 
great was its mistake when it reckoned as trifles un- 
worthy of attention, idle words, want of mortification 
in the use of the senses, voluntary distractions in 
prayer, and negligence in the discharge of duty. 

^^0 my God,^^ it exclaims with the sincerest regret, 
"now indeed do I recognize my mistake. How de- 
plorable those faults are which I then esteemed slight, 
but w^hich now so painfully delay my happiness ! Now 
my God, I see, that being created for thee, I cannot 
live without thee; for thou art the centre of my affec- 
tions ; I love thee with all my heart, infinite Beauty, 
and I long to be united to thee and possess thee.^^ 

It then seems to hear the just Judge answer : "It is 
too late now to give me proofs of thy love ; thou ought- 
est to have done so by thy acts during the days of thy 



258 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

pilgrimage upon earth ; thou oughtest to have performed 
thy duties more exactly^ corresponded more faithfully 
to my graces^ and followed my inspirations with more 
docility. Thou shouldst have had more contrition for 
thy sinS;, and done more penance to satisfy for them; 
though oughtest to have been more generous in my 
service^ avoiding inconvenience less^ and making the 
slight sacrifices that I demanded. Thou oughtest to 
have taken more precautions against vanity, sensuality, 
dissipation; thou shouldst not have forgotten that even 
an idle word must be judged by me.^^ 

And if this soul be that of a religious, it will hear 
the thrice holy God add these words: ^^Thou hast 
committed many faults against thy rules; thou hast 
not labored carefully for thy perfection; thou hast not 
profited by the means to attain it ; thou hast not drawn 
sufficient fruit from thy confessions and communions. 
By a generous correspondence to the special graces I 
gave thee, thou mightest have not only satisfied for 
thy sins, but enriched thyself with my merits. But 
thou hast acted differently, and therefore I say to thee 
depart into the fire of purgatory, whose sufferings thou 
mightest have escaped by a greater fidelity, and a more 
frequent use of the indulgences placed at thy disposal/^ 
what torment must it be to the soul to hear these 
just reproaches addressed to it! 

But let us behold it in purgator)^, let us see it weep- 
ing and lamenting at the sight of the real character of 
its faults; faults which still detain it in raging flames, 
and form an inseparable barrier between it and the 
Paradise for which it longs; faults which are like 
hideous blemishes and which prevent it from ap- 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 259 

preaching the abode of giory^ into which nothing defiled 
can enter. 

what bitterness and regret it feels at such a sight ! 
^'^I might have merited to see God/Mt cries^ "to possess 
him at the moment of deaths but because I did not 
watch over myself, because I neglected small things, 
because I did not perform all my actions as well as I 
might have done, I am now a captive in these scorching 
flames. if I had only been more eager to gain the 
indulgences attached to my prayers and good works, of 
what great assistance would they now be to me V^ 

APPLICATIOlsr 

Let us reflect on these truths when, for some satis- 
faction, or to escape a slight sacrifice, we are tempted 
to offend God, to neglect our duties, to disregard those 
inspirations of grace which incline us to a hie of more 
perfect virtue and greater purity. When we yield to 
these temptations, what food for repentance are we not 
storing up ! \Miat fuel are we not amassing for the 
flames of purgatory ! What wretched chains are we not 
forging to bind our hands and feet in that place of ex- 
piation and fearful suffering! 

how blind we are ! We might prepare to go di- 
rectly from this world to Paradise, and we consent to 
delay our happiness, to place between us and the heaven 
to which we asj^ire a lake of fire into which we shall be 
immersed perhaps for many years; where we shall ex- 
perience the keenest regrets and suffer the most ex- 
cruciating torments; where, at the sight of our faults, 



260 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

we shall feel the deepest confusion and the bitterest 
remorse. 

Let us then act with wisdom, and put no obstacle to 
our union with God; let us serve him with fervor and 
fidelity; let us discharge whatever debts we owe to his 
justice, so that when he calls us to himself he may find 
no obstacle in us to the exercise of his mercy and to 
making us sharers of his everlasting happiness; 

PRAYER 

my God, who hast made known to me the grief it 
is for a soul to be separated from thee, give me grace 
to abstain from everything that could expose me to that . 
misfortune. Grant that I may henceforth avoid every 
sin; that by penance I may expiate those faults of 
which I have been guilty, so that after death, I may 
not be deprived of the beatific vision, but may be ad- 
mitted at- once to enjoy thy presence in the courts of 
heave 1. 

R^sum§, page 184. 

How much the souls of purgatory suffer at the re- 
membrance of their faults ! 

1. They know their number. 

2. They estimate their gravity. 

3. Thej^ understand what pain the heart of Jesus has 
suffered on account of them, how many graces they 
abused in committing them, how easy it was for them 
to avoid them. 

4. They know the consequences both for themselves 
and their neighbor. 

5. They see them as hideous stains, as captive bonds, 
as a wall of separation from heaven. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 261 

— Let US, then, in meditating on these truths, com- 
prehend : 

1. What a misfortune it is to offend God. 

2. What woes the sinner prepares for himself. 

3. How wise it is to expiate our faults in this life. 

4. With what compassion the state of the souls in 
purgatory ought to inspire us. 

5. With what fervor we ought to pray for them. 



FORTY-THIRD MEDITATION 

MOTIVES FOR SUCCORING THE SOULS IN 
PURGATORY 

Take pity on me, take pity on me, at least you my friends. 
— Job xix. 21. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us pity the souls in purgator}^;, and relieve thera 
by every means furnished by the religious state. Every- 
thing moves us to fulfill this duty^, so dear to Christian 
and compassionate hearts. 

Suffering naturally inspires pity ; the sight of distress 
touches the heart. We cannot approach a sick man's 
bed without feeling pity for his sufferings, offering him 
our services^ and assuring him of our sympathy and 
our willingness to do anything in our power to 
effect his cure or to procure him relief. Why do we 
not extend to the souls of purgatory this compassion 
and this anxiety to be of service ? Would it not be cruel 
to forget, at the moment they most need our help, those 
who during life were most dear to us, and for whose 
recovery we would have made any sacrifice? 

A good heart is all that is necessary to make us will- 
ing to perform acts of piety in behalf of the souls in 
purgatory. But are there not other motives ? We are 
anxious to please God, to co-operate in the designs of 

262 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 263 

Jesus Christ, and to secure our spiritual interests. Is 
not this one of the most excellent means to do so ? 

It is with regret that God punishes these hol)^ souls 
who are destined to possess him in glory; and not only 
does he consent, but he wills, that we should satisfy 
his divine justice for them, in order that he may freely 
exercise his mercy and liberality in their behalf. 

Jesus Christ asks this of us. These souls possess 
his sanctifying grace and are united to him. They 
are in very truth the suffering members of Jesus 
Christ; it is he who suffers in them, and asks our as- 
sistance. What Christian could refuse him this? 

Let us remember also that to help the souls in pur- 
gatory is to glorify God, to exercise charity, to acquire 
numberless merits, and to secure for ourselves zealous 
intercessors in heaven. It is also a means of assuring 
prayers for ourselves after death, according to these 
words of Jesus Christ: With what measure you have 
measured it shall be measured to you again!' 

Finally, let us reflect that some among those souls 
have been united to us by the closest bonds. Let us 
listen to that affecting prayer which the Church puts 
in their mouth: TaJce pity on me, take pity on me, 
at least you my friends; because the hand of the Lord 
hath touched me^ 

Listen to that father crying out from the midst of 
the flames: ^"^0 my son, whom I have fed by the sweat 
of my brow, for whom I have watched and toiled so 
much and whom I have loved so tenderly, canst thou 
forget me? Think, I entreat thee, of thy father who 
weeps and suffers, and to whom thou canst now afford 
^Matt vii. 2. ^Job. xix. 21. 



264 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

relief. I cry to thee from the midst of these flames; 
wilt thou not hear m)^ praj^er? The hand of God lies 
heavy upon me^ but it is partly on thy account;, because 
I was too indulgent to thee. Take pity then on thy 
father^ who loved thee too fondly. My son^ my dear 
son^ do not forget me; pray for me and get others to 
pray for me.^^ 

Listen to that mother who with tears exclaims : "Ee- 
member^ my son, that God made use of me to give thee 
existence and life; that I nourished thee with my own 
milk, and a thousand times clasped thee to my bosom; 
that my attentions to thee were unceasing ; that for thee 
I endured privations, annoyances, apprehensions, dis- 
appointments, and every species of suffering. Ah ! how 
many days, how many nights have I devoted to thy 
service ! How many cares and anxieties have I suffered 
in rearing thee ! My child, think that it is through the 
excessive love I bore thee, that I am now brought to 
these flames; it is, therefore, in thy power to end or 
lessen my sufferings. Ah! canst thou refuse to come 
to my assistance and take pity on thy suffering mother?'^ 

Listen to those children addressing their entreaties 
to those who had instructed them : ^^0 you who loved 
us so much before death came upon us, and who were 
so solicitous for our welfare, deliver us, we entreat 
you, from the sufferings that now afflict us ! In your 
kindness, you were wont to take alarm at the least 
danger that threatened us on earth; what should you 
not be inspired to do for us now, when we are en- 
compassed by raging fire?" 

Listen to the lamentations of the benefactors of our 
schools or families. ^'Take pity on us," say they, "you 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 265 

who dwell in our houses^ occupy our lands^ and enjoy 
the fruits of our economy ! Can you forget us^ when 
it is impossible for you to open your eyes, to walk a 
step, or to enter into conversation, without meeting 
some reminder of our name and our kindness to you? 
Take pity on us, you who have inherited our property, 
and on whom we imposed it as a special duty, by legacies 
and foundations, to have the holy sacrifice of Mass 
ofEered up for us, to distribute alms to the poor, and 
obtain for us that eternal rest for which we so ardently 
sigh ! Can you forget to pray for us, can you refuse us 
so small a portion of what we have bequeathed to you ?" 
Listen to those relatives and friends with whom we 
were so intimate: ^^Take pity on us, you who mourn 
our death, and who perhaps erect to our memory monu- 
ments covered with eulogies. Of what avail are those 
well-turned phrases to us, or those wreaths of flowers 
with which you adorn our tombs? Fervent prayers, 
tears of penance, and the giving of alms, acts of morti- 
fications offered up to God, and, above all, the holy 
sacrifice of the Mass and fervent Communion, these 
only can deliver us from our sufferings, and these we 
now ask you to bestow, or procure, for our relief." 

APPLICATION 

Whilst we are taking our meals or taking our night^s 
repose, at those hours when we are enjoying pleasures 
and amusements that perhaps are not altogether befit- 
ting a Christian, we have a father, a mother, a brother, 
a sister, a relative, a friend, or some pupils who are 
burning in the flames of purgatory, and who with words 



266 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of pity implore the assistance of a prayer, a mortifica- 
tion, an indulgence to hasten their release from tor- 
ments and their passage to that heavenly country after 
which they sigh so ardently. Can we turn a deaf ear 
and remain insensible to cries that might move the 
very stones? how ungrateful and cruel we should 
then be ! 

No, no ! this must not be. Let us not pass a day, 
nor even an hour of the day, without offering to God 
some prayer for those holy souls; let us frequently 
gain indulgences applicable to their relief. When now 
and then we feel a repugnance to do what God asks of 
us, let us think of them and generously sacrifice our 
inclinations to obtain their release, or at least a di- 
minution of their sufferings. Let us induce our com- 
panions in religion and our pupils to help them. 
how grateful will these poor souls be to us, and with 
what joy will they act the part of intercessors for us in 
heaven, if, by our prayers, we have thrown open to 
them the gates of heaven ! 

PBAYER 

Have I reflected, my God, that the souls in purga- 
tory that implore my assistance, are those of my rela- 
tives, friends, and benefactors? that they are the souls 
of thy servants, thy elect, thy faithful followers, who 
in spite of the weaknesses of nature, have loved thee 
and died in thy grace ? Ala« ! I am obliged to confess 
to my confusion that I very frequently forget them, 
and trouble myself little about their sufferings. 

But I will not act thus any longer; I will not suffer 



MEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 267 

myself to yield to such cruel indifference. Yes^ hence- 
forth, every day, and many times in the day, I will 
offer up prayers and supplications in their behalf; and 
every time that I go to Communion, every time that I 
assist at the holy sacrifice of Mass, I will recommend 
them to the adorable Victim who offered himself up 
for the salvation of mankind. my God, bless these 
resolutions which thou dost inspire and give me grace 
to adhere faithfully to them. This I ask of thee 
through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of the 
afflicted and the Protector of the suffering souls in 
purgatory. 

Resume, page 185. 

Let us have pity on the souls in purgatory, and help 
them : 

1. They suffer : now, does not suffering inspire pity ? 

2. God punishes them with regret: he desires us to 
propitiate his justice for them. 

3. It is Jesus who suffers in them and asks our help. 

4. One day they shall do for us what we do for 
them. 

0. These souls are souls of our parents, our friends, 
our pupils, our benefactors. 

— Can we, then, 

1. Be insensible to their supplications? 

2. Live in cruel for get fulness of their suffering? 

3. Fail to implore the divine mercy for them? 

4. Pass even a single day without praying fervently 
for their deliverance? 

5. Be wanting in zeal to induce our fellow religious 
and our pupils to assist them? 



FORTY-FOURTH MEDITATION 

BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCE OP PARADISE 

Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God. — 
Ps. Ixxxvi. 3. 

CONSIDEEATION 

God did not create us for this world, wherein there 
is nothing capable of satisfjdng onr hearts; wherein 
joys are only transient, and are preceded and followed 
by nights of sadness; wherein we remain but a short 
time, like travellers in the Orient who spend a few 
hours in a tent prepared for their reception. 

He created us for heaven, the true land of promise, 
the land ^^flowing with milk and honey ,^' where we shall 
find everything to satisfy our desires; the city of peace 
where he waits to enrich his servants with the abun- 
dance of his wealth; the abode whose beauty far ex- 
ceeds the power of language to express or of fancy to 
picture. What tongue could recount all its splendors, 
or what imagination describe even a shadow of the 
beauties of paradise? 

The royal prophet exclaims with admiration: How 
lovely are thy tabernacles, Lord of hosts! my soul 
longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Glori- 
ous things are said of thee, city of GodP' 

^Ps. Ixxxiii. 2, 3; Ixxxvi. 3. 

'.268 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 269 

St. John, wishing to give ns an idea of heaven, 
gathers together all that is precious in this world, all 
that art and genius can add to nature : I saw the holy 
city Jerusalem^ . . . having the glory of God, 
and the light thereof like unto a precious stone . . . ; 
and the wall of the city had twelve foundations^, , . . 
adorned with all manner of precious stones; hut the 
city itself pure gold. . . . And the twelve gates are 
twelve pearls J one to each. . . . And the city need^ 
eth not sun nor moon to shine in it, for the glory of 
God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp 
thereof. . . . And the gates thereof shall not be 
shut by day, for there shall be no night there, . . . 
In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of 
the river, was the tree of life!' 

However rich this description, however great the mag- 
nificence which it pictures, it is yet far, very far from 
revealing the beauty and the splendor of heaven. In 
describing the abode of the blessed, St. John sought to 
accommodate himself to the weakness of our under- 
standing. St. Paul also, in speaking of heaven, to 
which he was raised in spirit, and in which he saw 
most marvellous things, says : The eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them 
that love him/ thereby indicating the utter impossi- 
bility not only of describing the magnificence of heaven 
adequately, but even of forming a satisfactory idea of 
its happiness. 

Yes, men have at different times seen wonders, 

^ipoc. xxi. 2. 11. 14. 10. 21. 23, 25; xxii. 2. 
=1 Cor. ii. a 



270 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

admired the master-pieces of art. and listened to the 
most insjDiring music; but all this is nothing in com- 
parison with what the elect both see and hear in para- 
dise. The human imagination has framed marvellous 
representations of the beantifnl^ but neither singly nor 
collectively can they approach the sublimity of heaven. 
Let us picture to ourselves the perfection of beauty^ 
riches^ and magnificence^ and when we have made the 
vision as captivating as possible^, we can say with truth, 
Heaven contains all that^ and infinitely more, 

St. John Chrysostom says of this delightful abode: 
^^Look at the blue sky when not a cloud dims the pure 
light that enriches the transparent atmosphere, and 
while gazing at that beautiful vision say to yourselves : 
The home in the other world promised to me as far 
surpasses this sun-lit vault in magnificence as the 
gilded ceilings of palaces outshine in splendor the hum- 
blest roofs of straw. Eecall to mind all the happiness 
Adam enjoyed in the terrestrial paradise^ and again 
say to yourselves : Between the paradise of the elect 
and that of the first man there is as great a difference 
as between heaven and earth.^^ 

^^Heaven/^ says St. Cyprian, ^%e should look upon 
as our true country ; thither many friends, relatives and 
brethren have preceded us, who long for the hour when 
they shall behold us reunited to them. what joy 
shall we feel when we meet in paradise ! With what 
torrents of delight shall we be inundated in that king- 
dom where inconceivable and eternal happiness shall 
be our inheritance V^ 

Many other Fathers of the Church have used attrac- 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 271 

tive and beautiful figures in speaking of heaven. They 
have called it a delicious entertainment, a splendid 
banquet, a magnificent palace, a kingdom prepared for 
God's servants; but they have always added that noth- 
ing that they could say could give an adequate idea of 
its excellence. 

Heaven is the home of peace and rest, where suffer- 
ing and sorrow are unknown, where disease and death 
can never enter. 

Heaven is the abode of charity ; the country in which 
love is enthroned, and from which jealousy, envy and 
selfishness are forever banished. There the elect are 
one through their union of heart and soul, as the three 
persons of the adorable Trinity are one divine nature. 

Heaven is the miracle of God^s omnipotence; it is a 
creation of his wisdom, where everything is ordered 
for man^s happiness. Heaven is the abode of unutter- 
a1jle delights; it is the river of pure joy ever full to 
its banks. There happiness is both perfect and per- 
manent ; there is found everything that can be desired, 
and nothing that is not desirable. 

Heaven is the glorious city wherein God shows him- 
self face to face to his elect; wherein the ra3^s of his 
glory transfigure them and make them sharers of his 
own happiness. There all beauty, all magnificence, is 
spread before the eyes of the elect, from whom nothing 
is hidden. There the human heart can abundantly 
satisfy its immense craving for love. There all is fully 
accomplished: the promises of God are realized, virtue 
is rewarded, and happiness is the inheritance of the 
true servants of Jesus Christ. 



272 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

APPLICATION 

^^0 beloved country/^ we may exclaim with St. Au- 
gustine^ ^Ve salute thee from afar. Thou art the true 
promised land that the Father has prepared for us 
from the fomidation of the world: there awaits us the 
plenitude of delights that never pass away.^' 

Since the country which we hope to possess is so 
beautiful and holds so much joy and happiness in re- 
serve for us ; let us esteem it as the most valuable of 
possessions^, and willingly sacrifice everything to secure 
it. Let us ardently desire it, and above all let us so 
live as to deserve to be admitted to its enjoyment. 

Let us exclaim with St. Augustine: ^^0 joy above 
all joy, when shall I possess thee? when will that day 
come when I shall enter into the house of my God? 
holy city, who could help loving thee and longing 
with the greatest ardor for the day that shall admit 
him within thy walls? When shall I leave this barren 
land without water, and quench my thirst from the 
torrent that flows in thy porch? when will that 
happy moment come when I shall enter into the pos- 
session of so much happiness ?^' 

While waiting for that happy day, let us detach our 
hearts from this world of exile. Let us unceasingly 
add to our merits by generously corresponding to grace. 
Let us keep united to Jesus Christ, that at death we 
may be judged worthy of the eternal happiness which 
he has prepared for us. 

PEAYER 

My eyes are lifted up to thee, my God, Father of 
mercies. Hear, I beseech thee, the prayer of thy poor 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 273 

servant, exiled in this vallej^ of the shadow of death, 
and sighing for the end of his pilgrimage. Guard 
and preserve my soul in the midst of the dangers of 
this perishable life. Accompanj^ me by thy graoe^ and 
lead me by the path of peace to the country of eternal 
light, to the abode of thy true rest, to that city of 
happiness where my eyes shall behold thy splendor, 
and my heart love thee without fear of ever losing thee. 

Resume, page 185. 

how beautiful is the country which we are des- 
tined to possess ! 

1. It is the palace of the King of kings. 

2. It is the city of God, a city of gold and precious 
stones, a city where peace reigns supreme. 

3. It is the dwelling of light and glory. 

4. It is a garden of delights, through which streams 
of pure joy forever flow. 

5. It is the temple of God, where he manifests his 
infinite magnificence. 

But how can we explain what heaven is, since Saint 
Paul says that neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard, 
nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive it ? 

— Yes, the beauty of heaven is ineffable. We ought, 
then, 

1. To esteem heaven as the greatest of blessings. 

2. To sacrifice cheerfully all others. 

3. To sigh for the day when we shall be admitted 
into it. 

4. So to live as to merit that favor. 

5. To labor unceasingly to increase our merits be- 
fore God, that he may fully exercise his mercy and his 
goodness in our regard. 



FORTY-FIFTH MEDITATION 

THE HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN 

We shall be like to him, because we shall see him as he is. 
—1 John iii. 2. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Happiness is the object of our desires and the more 
or less immediate end of all our actions; but it does 
not exist upon this earthy, which has been cursed since 
the first sin of Adam. Onlj^ God and those whom he 
has made partakers of his glory in heaven possess 
perfect happiness. Let ns then lift np our eyes to that 
abode which is the object of all our hopes^, and medi- 
tate on the happiness which we shall there enjoy if dur- 
ing this life we have made ourselves like to Jesus Christ, 
the Model of the predestined. 

In heaven, says the apostle St. John, we shall see 
him as he is, that is to say, we shall contemplate his 
very essence; and our Lord Jesus Christ will reveal 
himself to us in his surpassing beauty and infinite 
glory. 

What can give us an idea of the happiness of thus 
beholding God? Moses speaking face to face with God 
on Mount Sinai, and descending after forty days, his 
face radiant with glory; Solomon, during the solemni- 
ties of the dedication of the temple, beholding the 

274 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END aJTS 

majest)^ of God under the form of a cloudy and ex^ 
claiming: Is it credible then that God should divell 
with men on the earth f St. Peter beholding his divine 
Master transfigured on Mount Thabor and crying out: 
It is good for us to be here/ the immaculate Mother 
of the Savior blessing God after the mystery of the 
Incarnation was wrought and expressing her happiness 
in the sublime words : My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Savior f all these 
tell us what happiness God sometimes bestows on his 
friends here below^ but they do not make known to us 
the happiness of the elect. 

men, ask yourselves what can satisfy you, and see 
whether you will not possess it in superabundance when 
you shall possess God? Tlliat would you wish to make 
you happy? Eiches? When the saints possess God 
they have heaven for their inheritance, compared to 
which all the treasures of earth are but as dust and 
smoke. Honors ? The saints enjoy the greatest pos- 
sible esteem, being eternally glorified by God himself 
and by all creatures. Pleasures? In heaven there are 
torrents of the sweetest and purest joys. Do you wish 
knowledge both extensive and profound? In heaven 
everything will be unveiled before your eyes, and the 
Word of God will communicate himself to you, and 
make you know all things perfectly. 

In heaven we shall understand the mystery of the 
adorable Trinity; we shall know the attributes of God; 
we shall contemplate his transcendent perfections. His 
ravishing beauty, ^^so ancient and so new,^^ will be an 
inexhaustible source of delight; his wisdom, compared 

^2 Paral. vi. 18. ^^^latt. xvii. 4. ^Liike i. 46, 47. 



276 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

with which all human science sinks into nothingness; 
his omnipotence^ which knows no limits; his provi- 
dencC;, which conducts everything to its end^ and his 
love^, which moved him to give ns his only Son to pur- 
chase our salvation^, — all will be made manifest to us. 

In heaven we shall form a more just appreciation of 
what our adorable Savior has done for us^ and we shall 
there experience a joy infinitely greater than that of 
the shepherds and the magi at Bethlehem, of Simeon 
in the Temple, or of the Apostles when their Divine 
Master appeared to them after his glorious resurrec- 
tion. 

In heaven we shall behold him in his glory ; we 
shall see the stigmata of his hands and feet, from 
which rays of light will issue. We shall see his opened 
side, his pierced heart, and in his heart his goodness, 
love, and devotedness to us; yes, we shall then know 
how Jesus loved us. what transports will then be 
enkindled in our souls ! What sentiments of gratitude 
will take possession of our hearts ! In such sentiments 
we must necessarily find the greatest possible joy. 

How great will be our happiness when we shall see 
our Lord Jesus Christ in his glory! It will be im- 
measurably greater than that of the blind man who, 
being miraculously cured, opens his eyes to the light of 
a beautiful summer day; greater than that of the im- 
prisoned exile who fell asleep in his chains, and awoke 
free and in his own country; or than that of the child 
who finds the father whom he had believed to be dead, 
full of life and health. Light, country, family are great 
blessings, but less, inconceivably less, than Jesus Christ, 
the Author of every blessing. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 277 

And this happiness we firmly hope will one day be 
ours ! Then shall be accomplished in ns these words 
of our Divine Master: Good measure, and pressed 
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall 
they give into your bosom.^ That is to say^ we shall 
find in heaven all that we can desire; there Jesus will 
satisfy all the aspirations of our hearty and will reward 
opprobrium and humiliation with a throne of incom- 
parable glory. 

The happiness of the elect is the superabundant 
measure of the Gospely which although proportioned 
to each one^s merits^ far exceeds man^s natural capacity 
for joy and happiness. To use the expression of St. 
Bernard, it is ^^a measure without measure/^ a measure 
proportioned to the merits of the saints, but also pro- 
portioned to the infinite goodness of God, who rewards, 
as God, those who have obeyed his holy law. 

It is not drop by drop that the elect will drink of 
the chalice of heavenly delights, but, in the language 
of Scripture: They shall be inebriated with the plenty 
of thy housed Their nature will be raised above itself 
and will be so strengthened as to be capable of sustain- 
ing without fatigue or exhaustion the great joys pre- 
pared for it. 

"The blessed,'^ says St. Augustine, "will always be 
satiated though always hungry ; always satiated, because 
they will enjoy perfect happiness forever; always hun- 
gry, because for all eternity they will wish to enjoy 
that happiness, and will enjoy it with the same con- 
tentment and the same transports of joy.^^ King David 
calls this happiness a torrent and a fountain; a tor- 
^Luke vi. 38. ^Ps. xxxv. 9. 



278 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

rentj to show the abundance of its 303^8; a fountain^ to 
show that these joys are always new, and will never 
bring disgust or satiety. 

Finallj', all that can be said of that happiness is 
summed up in this, that it surpasses all that our under- 
standing can conceive, all that we can possibly desire 
or seek. 

APPLICATION 

How wonderfully the thought of the happiness of 
heaven strengthens us to despise all the pleasures that 
might cause us to risk its loss ! what foUj^ it is to 
seek and pursue vile, false, and perishable pleasures, 
when we can and should procure for ourselves such as 
are infinite ! Let us ardently sigh after this boundless 
felicity, and let us desire no other. Let us love to 
speak of it, let us labor to merit it, and let us hesitate 
at no sacrifice to secure it. Wlien we meet with diffi- 
culties in the practice of virtue let us lift up our eyes 
to heaven, and ask the saints in bliss if thej^ are sorry 
that they deprived themselves of enjoyments here, and 
subjected themselves to an austere and laborious 
life; let us ask them what they think of the sufferings 
which the}^ endured on earth, and whether they do not 
realize the truth of the words of St. Paul: Tlie suf- 
ferings of this present time are not worthy to he com-' 
pared with the glory to corned 

^Rom. viii. 18. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 279 

PEAYEE 

My God, thou hast created me for thyself, thou hast 
destined me to enjoy the happiness of heaven; suflEer 
me not to become unworthy of this happiness b}^ my 
sins. Hitherto I ha,ve done little to deserve it, perhaps 
I have even done nothing. Help me, I beseech thee, to 
keep the resolution which I now make in thy presence, 
to strive earnestly from this moment to be numbered 
among the elect, and to share in their happiness; for 
this is now the only desire of my heart. 

Resume, page 186. 

Let us not seek happiness in this world, for happi- 
ness is only in heaven. 

1. There we shall see God as he is. 

2. There we shall see Jesus Christ in his glory. 

3. There we shall enjoy the society of the Blessed 
Virgin, the angels, and the saints. 

4. There we shall possess all glorv, all riches, all sci- 
ence, all that can be the object of highest and holiest 
desire. 

5. There our felicity will be infinite. 

— Let us be convinced of these truths, and ruling our 
conduct by them : 

1. Let us despise and shun terrestrial joys. 

2. Let us ardently desire heaven, and nothing but 
heaven. 

3. Let us love to speak of heaven and the things of 
heaven. 

4. Let us, above all, labor to gain heaven. 

5. Let us think of heaven in our difficulties, and 
that thought will give us strength to overcome them. 



FORTY-SIXTH MEDITATION 
THE COMPANY OP THE BLESSED 

How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 
together in unity! — Ps. cxxxii. 1. 

CONSIDEEATION" 

The royal prophet^, considering the advantages of union 
among brethren and friends exclaims: ''How good and 
Tioiv 'pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in 
unity!'' In what language would he have spoken of 
the happiness of the elect in heaven^, for there they 
form a society^ a family, all whose members have but 
one desire; being inspired only by truth and charity, 
loving only peace and order, and finding happiness in 
the happiness of one another? How would he have 
depicted their joy at beholding themselves in the closest 
union with all the truly virtuous men that have lived 
upon earth and with whatever is most worthy of love 
and admiration? 

When about to consummate his sacrifice, Jesus Christ 
prayed to his Father for union among his followers: 
Holy Father^ heep them in thy name whom thou hast 
given me: that they may he one, as we also are^ It is 
in heaven that this prayer is completely fulfilled, for 
there love unites all hearts. It is of those who reign 
there that we can truly say: They have hut one heart 

^John xvii. 11. 

280 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 281 

and one soul^ There no contention finds entrance, no 
jealousy^, nothing that can disturb peace. 

If we are struck with wonder at the harmony exist- 
ing among all the members of the human body^, of 
which the soul is the life-principle, what must be the 
union of the electa, what the harmony existing in that 
society of which Jesus Christ is the soul, directing all 
members with entire freedom? In heaven all know 
and love one another; and this knowledge and this 
love are sources of inexpressible happiness. There, each 
one seeing Jesus Christ in his neighbor, rejoices at his 
happiness, and thus makes it a portion of his own. 

What shall we say of the joy and contentment which 
the elect communicate to one another? The father 
congratulates his son on his fidelity in following the 
lessons and examples of virtue he himself gave him; 
the son, in most affectionate terms, expresses his grati- 
tude to his father for having provided him with the 
means of salvation. The mother congratulates her 
daughter on her courage in resisting the world and its 
allurements; the daughter thanks her mother most 
heartily for all her devoted and charitable care in train- 
ing her in the way of Christian virtue. The superior 
congratulates his inferior on his docility in following 
the good advice given him; the inferior thanks his 
superior for his prudent counsel, by following which he 
obtained the grace of God. Friends, neighbors, and 
relatives thank one another for all the assistance rend- 
ered to enable them to attain the goal of their desires. 

if we have the happiness of being one day num- 
bered with the elect, how great will be our joy at 
^Acts iv. 32. 



282 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

seeing united as in one family the patriarchs^ the 
prophets^ and all the just of the old dispensation, the 
apostles, those pillars of the Church of Christ, the mar- 
tyrs bearing in their hands the palms of victory, the 
confessors of the faith, the virgins arrayed in dazzling 
brightness, the many holy persons who have either pre- 
served their innocence or regained it by repentance; in 
a word, all the elect of every age and condition who 
have died in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ! 

What a glorious spectacle will be presented to our 
eyes when the seraphim, who always stand before the 
throne of God, will reveal to us the excellence of their 
state, the clearness and delightfulness of their vision 
of the divine nature, the ardor and vehemence of their 
love; when the cherubim will show us the treasures of 
divine wisdom which they possess; when the thrones, 
the dominations, and all other heavenly choirs will 
share with us their happiness, their holy and sublime 
thrills of delight ! 

But far above all this multitude of holy souls, even 
above the choirs of angels, let us behold all resplendent 
in beauty the Virgin of virgins, the joy and delight 
of the holy city, the Queen of this heavenly kingdom. 
The stars compose her crown, the sun clothes her with 
its light, the moon is beneath her feet. She is seated 
at the right hand of her Beloved, her countenance radi- 
ant with unchanging happiness, and reflecting the glory 
of her adorable Son. how great will be our joy at 
beholding this beautiful sight ! 

If in this land of exile it is a happiness for a child 
to see its mother happy and honored, what pleasure 
will be ours at beholding Mary, our own kind and most 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD ^80 

loving Mother^ thus crowned with endless happiness 
and glory ! 

Lastly^ let us contemplate Jesus Christ himself, the 
Word of God, the very essence of beauty, the source of 
all the happiness and glory of the saints. Let us ad- 
mire his adorable body clothed with divine majesty 
and shining with the splendor of the Godhead; his 
heart glowing with love for the elect; his sacred W'Ounds, 
which seem still to repeat, as on the cross, "Behold, 
men, how I have loved you I'' Yes, Jesus Christ will 
communicate himself to the saints; all will see him; 
all will share in his glory; all will through him have 
life, peace, joy, and the most perfect happiness of which 
they are capable. 

APPLICATIO]^ 

Let us bear in mind that we are called to share the 
happiness of the saints, and that we should do all our 
actions to attain this end. Let us unceasingly strive 
for heaven, since it is for this end that we have fol- 
lowed our vocation to the religious life. Let us imi- 
tate the saints, and we shall deserve to share in their 
happiness. Doubtless it will cost nature something to 
follow, like them, in the narrow way ; but let us think 
of the happy end of their journey, which we, also, by 
God's grace, may and should reach. 

To encourage us to greater exactness in our duties, 
and to support the afflictions and trials of this life, let 
us from time to time raise our eyes to heaven. Let us 
think of Jesus Christ, our adora1)lc Savior, who calls 
us to him. Let us think of Mary, our kind Mother, 



284 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

who stretches forth her arms to take ns to herself. Let 
us think of onr parents^ our friendS;, of the Brothers 
and pupils who have gone before ns into that mansion 
of bliss: all these invite ns to imitate their example, 
and look to the place we are to occupy in their com- 
pany through all eternity. 

Let it be our ambition to attain that incomparable 
happiness, and let us labor to make ourselves worthy 
of it. Let us animate ourselves by faith and charity, 
seeking only the glory of God and the salvation of 
souls. 

At the thought of the happiness which the elect cause 
one another, let us resolve to do all in our power to 
promote charity and union. Let us generously devote 
ourselves to the service of our Brothers. Let us study 
how to help them, for they are members of the same 
body as ourselves. Let us frequently reflect that the 
whole Christian family, but more particularly every 
religious community, should be an image of the society 
of the saints in heaven. Let us in time cherish that 
union which we hope to enjoy throughout eternity. 

Let us renew our devotion to the saints, honoring 
and invoking those friends of God whom he has clothed 
with his own glory, and whose influence is all-powerful 
over his sacred heart. Let us lead our pupils to honor 
and invoke them with zeal, for this devotion is the source 
of many blessings. Let us, from this vale of tears, 
congratulate the saints on their happiness, and pray 
them to obtain for us, by their intercession, admission 
to that kingdom where sorrow and suffering never enter. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 285 

PEAYEE 

good Jesus^ when shall I have the happiness of 
possessing thee ? When shall I behold the beauty of thy 
kingdom? When shall I be at rest from every dis- 
quietude, and taste happiness without alloy in the 
company of thy elect? grant that I may become 
worthy of that ineffable happiness, that I may one day 
celebrate thy clemency and thy infinite mercy in com- 
pany with thy holy Mother^ St. Joseph^ and all the 
angels and saints. 

Resume, page 186. 

If it is so sweet to dwell with friends on this miser- 
able earth, what shall it be to find ourselves in heaven : 

1. With our parents, our friends, our community? 

2. With all the saints? 

3. With the hierarchies of angels ? 

4. With the Most Blessed Virgin? 

5. Above all, with Jesus, our divine Savior? What 
company ! What society ! What a subject for recipro- 
cal felicitation ! 

— Let us reflect that it depends on us to participate 
therein : 

1. Let us imitate the saints, and we shall merit to 
share in their glory. 

2. Let us be animated with their spirit and be their 
associates in time, and we shall be such in eternity. 

3. Let us be ambitious for heaven and nothing but 
heaven. 

4. Let us live in peace with our fellow-religious, that 
our communities may be an image of heaven. 

5. Let us be zealous for the glory of the saints; let 
us felicitate them here below on their happiness, and, 
by their intercession, we shall be enabled to do so in the 
life to come. 



FORTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION 
THE POSSESSION OF GOD 

Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my 
portion forever. — Ps. Ixxii. 26. 

CONSIDEEATIOJN^ 

In heaven the blessed see God and possess God, and 
are sure of seeing and possessing him forever; this is 
indeed the essence of their happiness. For God is per- 
fect, infinite in beauty, goodness and power, in riches 
and splendor; he is order, harmony, greatness, and 
virtue itself in their very essence. 

Let US call to mind everything that exists, or ever 
has existed, deserving of admiration. Let us suppose 
all these objects gathered in one place and resplendent 
with surpassing brightness. Let us multiply this bril- 
liancy as much as we choose. Let us add all that hu- 
man genius can effect in the way of beautifying nature 
and art. Though we expend all the activity of our imag- 
ination, we shall never be able to conceive anything 
comparable to God. All the magnificence of earth and 
sea and sky are only traces of his footsteps. The vault 
of heaven, with its millions of stars, is but a veil be- 
hind which his brightness is hidden from our eyes. All 
created beauty in comparison with the uncreated is not 
so much as the reflection of a lamp before the bright- 
ness of the noon-day sun. 

No ! There is nothing that can be compared to God. 

286 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 287 

Let US reflect too that it is God who comnmnicates 
himself to the elect. They are permitted to behold him 
face to face^ to admire him for all eternity. He mani- 
fests himself to them, giving them such strength of 
vision and power of penetration that, if we may so 
express it, they can gaze with iindazzled eyes on the 
splendor of his divinity. who can understand the 
happiness of the soul that enjoys the beatific vision? 
If men experience so much pleasure when they discover 
some truth in the order of nature, what will be the 
pleasure of thus contemplating Truth itself ? 

God knows himself, and though his intelligence is 
infinite, this knowledge constitutes his happiness. How, 
then could such knowledge fail to bring happiness to 
our limited understanding? How great soever may 
be our thirst for knowledge, it will be fully satisfied in 
God, who alone contains everything; and the contem- 
plation of that Beauty ever ancient and ever new, in 
whom are the source and plenitude of all perfections, 
will prove to us a subject of joy which it is not only 
beyond our power to express, but which forever presents 
new aspects. The soul permitted to see God will dis- 
cover in him at every instant of eternity new wonders 
that will transport it out of itself, and at the same time 
excite it to the greatest love and the most unbounded 
gratitude. 

It will see how God loved it, and what he did for it 
because of that love. It will see how he loved men ; it 
will measure, so to saj^, the length, the breadth, and 
the depth of that charity which led him to sacrifice 
his only Son for us. It will follow the steps of his 
providence in all that happened to it in this world, 



288 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

and will see how all reveals his wisdom^ his goodness, 
and his mercy. 

What will the soul behold in the person of the In- 
carnate Word^ who is the substantial and perfect image 
of his Father^, and who seated on his throne of glory 
is to be the object of its ceaseless contemplation? What 
will it see in the Son of God, become, through love of 
us, the Son of man, and who will reveal himself to it 
in all the splendor of his greatness? 

If those privileged souls to whom Jesus Christ has 
communicated himself in a special manner, have said 
that in these revelations they experienced so much joy 
that, without a miracle, nature could not have sup- 
ported it, and they would thus have died of happiness ; 
what are we to think of the happiness of a soul to 
which he manifests himself in all his perfections in 
heaven ? 

The elect know God, and therefore have the most 
ardent love for him; and they find unspeakable con- 
tentment in the exercise of this love. Our hearts yearn 
to love and be loved, and in heaven this craving will be. 
fully satisfied. It is there that the faithful soul will 
say in the most absolute sense: Lord, thou Tcnowest 
that I love thee/ or, with St. Francis of x^ssissi: *^^My 
God and my all V^ There, too, it will hear him answer : 
^'I am thine, my beloved, and all that I possess is 
thine. I take pleasure in thee as the image of my Son, 
in whom I place all my love. Possess me, and in pos- 
sessing me, enjoy the most perfect happiness.^^ Who 
can conceive the state of a soul in such close rela- 
tions with the Infinite ? 

^John xxi. 15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 289 

The elect will find so much contentment in the pos- 
session of God^ that their intellect^ which is incompara- 
bly more active than ours^ will not be able to conceive 
a happiness of whatever nature or duration^ which they 
will not fully experience in themselves. To possess 
God ! This is to be like God ; it is in a sense even to 
be God; it is to be resplendent with his beauty, to be 
inflamed with the love of his heart, to live his life! 
what a well-spring of joy to the soul, to see itself in 
God, pure, beantifnl, and glorious, more radiant than 
the sun, and adorned as becomes the spouse of the 
King of kings! 

What a deep peace steals into the soul as it says to 
itself: "I possess God, and am sure of possessing him 
forever; I found Mm whom my soul loveth, and I will 
not let him go;^ I am perfectly happy, and shall be so 
for all eternity/^ thought full of consolation and 
of sweetness, God himself will be our happiness! The 
same love, the same goodness that abound in his heart, 
will overflow into ours: his crown will be our crown; 
his glory our glory; his eternity our eternity. ^^What 
state more desirable, what happiness more perfect than 
this?^^ exclaims St. Bernard. ^^What sweetness is to 
be compared with that of living with God, living in 
God, who will be at the same time with us and in us V^' 

APPLICATION" 

Let us often think of that happiness for which we 
are destined, and which we may merit by grace. 
how can we help having heaven with its endless joys 

^Cant. iii. 4. ^Sermon on the Ascension. 



290 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

constantly present to our thoughts? How can we for^ 
get that heavenly Jerusalem^ our true country^ while 
here as captives subjected to many hardships we weep 
by the rivers of Babylon^ in a strange land ? 

Let us lift up our hearts and minds to heaven ! Be- 
hold^ Jesus Christ invites us to come and receive our 
crown; Mary stretches forth her arms to help us^ and 
hastens to meet us; the angels and saints open their 
ranks to admit us. Yes^ let us think of heaven; let us 
hope for heaven and sigh after it; and let us struggle 
unceasingly to merit it. 

Let us animate ourselves to the practice of our duties 
by the hope of securing the great happiness which God 
has prepared for us; let us hearken to our Lord as he 
says to each of us: ^'^Son^ be not dismayed at the 
labors which thou hast undertaken for me; neither let 
the tribulations which befall thee quite cast thee down. 
. . . I am sufficient to reward thee beyond all 
measure.^^^ 

Let us think frequently of that happiness^ and to 
make ourselves worthy of it, let us live pure and holy 
lives. Let us shun sin^ and all that can be the occa- 
sion of sin. Let us watch over our senses, let us watch 
over our hearts, often calling to mind those words of 
our Divine Master: Blessed are the clean of heart, for 
they shall see God^ 

PRAYEE 

With the greatest ardor, my God, does my soul 
yearn to see and possess thee. When shall I behold 
^Imit. Bk. III. Chap, xlvii. 1, 2. ^Matt. v. 8. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 291 

thee? When shall I have the happiness of possessing 
thee as my inheritance ? This is the cry of my soul. I 
know that I must make myself worthy of this happiness 
by great purity of heart and ardent zeal for thy glory. 
Give me then, I beseech thee, these two virtues ; so that 
by doing thy will in this world, I may merit to enjoy 
thee in the next, where thou thyself art the recompense 
of thy elect. 

Resume, page 187. 

Heaven is the perfection of happiness, because there : 

1. We see God as he is. 

2. We discover in him all beauty, all magnificence. 

3. We love him supremely. 

4. We possess him, and are sure of possessing him 
forever. 

5. We contemplate Jesus Christ in his glory, and 
partake forever of his felicity. 

— beautiful heaven, abode of supreme beatitude ! 
Why do we not think of thee unceasingly ! Let us 
henceforth, 

1. Keep heaven ever present to our minds. 

2. Cherish the hope of possessing it. 

3. Desire it with all the ardor of our soul. 

4. Labor to deserve it. 

5. Fly from even the shadow of sin, remembering 
that nothing defiled can enter heaven, and that it is 
written : "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall 
see God/^ 



FORTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION 

THE BODIES OP THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN 

Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . will reform the body of our 
lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to 
the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all 
things unto himself. — Philip iii. 21. 

CONSIDEEATION" 

It is an article of faith that all men will rise again;, 
and that the body of each man^ according as it has 
been an instrument of good or evil^ will share in the 
everlasting happiness or misery of the soul. It is 
therefore certain that the bodies of the elect will one 
day share the glory of their souls in heaven. And in- 
deed nothing seems more in accordance with justice ; for 
the body has helped in the sanctification of the soul^ 
serving it in all its exterior acts of virtue. By it the 
soul has practised penance^ observed chastity^ exercised 
charity^ performed works of mercy^ and listened to the 
Word of God or announced it to others. It served the 
saints as a victim to be offered to God ; it was in their 
bodies that the martyrs suffered for the name of Jesus^ 
giving their flesh to be torn, and their blood to be 
poured forth for the faith. Since then the body has 
taken so active a part in the virtues of the saints, it is 
just that it should participate in the happiness which 
they merited by their virtues. 

293 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 293 

The body has also served the soul by making it 
participate in the means of salvation. The soul was 
purified when the body was washed in the waters of 
baptism; it became the habitation of the Holy Ghost 
when the body received the holy chrism of confirmation, 
and it was united to Jesus Christ and fed with the 
bread of angels when the body partook of the adorable 
sacrament of the altar. Thus the body has been a 
kind of channel by which the grace of God, which is 
the seed of glory, was communicated to the soul, and 
it is but just that the body should share in this glory. 

The excellence of the human body shows that it is 
called to a very different state from that which it occu- 
pies in this world. God created it with his own hands, 
breathed into it the breath of life, and exalted it above 
all other material creatures. He has made it his tem- 
ple, and he commands us to respect it as consecrated 
to himself. He therefore destines it for some great 
end. But this destiny is not attained in this world, 
where the body is racked by sickness, broken down by 
age and fatigue, subject to numberless infirmities, 
and always within the shadow of the grave. Its destiny 
must, then, be reserved for another world, for the day 
of eternity, when God, after destroying by death the 
unnatural work of sin, will restore the body to its per- 
fect condition and form the whole man on the model 
of Jesus Christ. 

The happiness of saints must be complete; but it 
would seem this could not be attained if the body did 
not share in their happiness; if it were not united to 
the soul where it receives life, and were not its com- 
panion in glory, as it had been the companion of its 



294 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sufferings; if it did not show the beautj^ with which it 
is endowed when in presence of the vision of God ! 
Yes^ the elect will enjoy even in their bodies the hap- 
piness which they have merited. Then will be fulfilled 
those words of holy Job: In the last day I shall rise 
out of the earth, and I shall he clothed again with my 
shin, and in my flesh I shall see my Ood.^ 

Let us believe firmly in this destiny of our body, 
and to encourage us to practise such acts of virtue as 
may merit it^ let us consider what kind of glory the 
body will enjoy, and what kind of happiness will be 
its inheritance if we are numbered among the elect. 

Our body will be regenerated, it will possess a new 
life and have complete development. It will possess 
an enchanting beauty, because it will be resplendent 
with the beauty of the soul, and will thus share in the 
glory of God. In it the words of our Blessed Savior 
will be fulfilled: Then shall the just shine as the sun, 
in the kingdom of their Father.^ 

Our body will be an ornament to the heavenly Jeru- 
salem; a living stone in the city of God, in that holy 
temple wherein the Lamb is offered up in his glory for 
the salvation of men. Its home will be in that new 
world of which this, with all its magnificence, is but a 
faint image; and it will reflect the joy, peace, and 
happiness of the soul. It will no longer be an obstacle 
to the soul by its grossness, but being spiritualized and 
endowed with agility and subtility, it will at once exe- 
cute all the wishes of the spirit, traversing in an instant 
through all space, however vast. Eaised from the grave 
^Job. xix. 25, 26. ^^^latt. xiii. 43. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 295 

to enjoy glory and happiness, it will no longer know 
suffering, grief, infirmity or sickness: it will be both 
immortal and impassable. 

If we here keep our senses in subjection, they will 
then be to us an inexhaustible source of delight. What 
wonders our eyes shall discover in that abode of in- 
finite riches, where God displays all his magnificence! 
What shall be our feelings when we behold the immen- 
sity of the universe, or when we contemplate the count- 
less multitude of the saints, who will enjoy in soul and 
body the same happiness as ourselves ! What delight 
we shall take in beholding the highest heaven where 
the elect will shine like the brightest stars,, and we shall 
see, fairest of them all, the immaculate Queen of Hea- 
ven, already there in soul and body, and resplendent 
with all the glory of the King of kings ! 

But what shall be our happiness when we behold the 
sacred humanity of our adorable Redeemer, when in 
our flesh we shall see our Ood; when like St. Peter on 
Mount Thabor, but with far greater capacity for en- 
joyment, we shall behold him in his glory? Then in- 
deed we shall cry out: Lord, it is good for us to be 
here!' ^^Blessed be thou for having called me to this 
mountain where thou hast shown thyself to me, and 
dost permit me to enjoy forever the contemplation of 
thy beauty and thy splendor V^ 

The hearing also will be a source of the purest de- 
light; for we shall hear the divine harmony of the 
celestial choirs, of whose sweetness we cannot here form 
even an idea. We shall listen to the divine concert 
^Matt. xvii. 4. 



296 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of regenerated humanity^, exalting the goodness and 
mercy of God in the admirable words : Holy, holy, holy, 
the Lord God of Hosts^ 

The taste^ the smell, the touch will also experience 
equally pure and appropriate delights^ and we shall 
thus prove the liberality of God to his friends : we shall 
know that he recompenses as God those who are de- 
voted to his service; that he has reserved perfect happi- 
ness for his faithful servants, whose every desire he 
wills to satisfy, even that of enjoying happiness in 
their bodies. 

how our hearts will then be inflamed with heaven- 
ly charity! To share the lot of the elect, and enjoy 
in soul and body this endless happiness, should be hence- 
forth the passionate object of our desires. 

APPLICATION 

If we wish our bodies to share in the happiness of 
heaven, we must subject them to the soul. We must 
subdue their inclinations, and spiritualize them by the 
fervent reception of the body of Christ, and by the prac- 
tice of mortification and penance. Let us make of 
them instruments to glorify God and save souls; let us 
make use of their strength to do the work entrusted 
to us, and to accomplish great good. 

Let us make proper use of our senses; not opening 
to the world and its vanities those eyes that are des- 
tined to behold in his glory Jesus Christ, the Conqueror 
of the world. Let us not employ in listening to dan- 
gerous songs or conversations those ears that are des- 
^Isai. vi. 3. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 297 

tined to hear celestial music, the hymns of angelic 
choirS;, the song of the virgins who follow the Lamb. 
Let us respect our bodies which are one day to become 
living stones in the new Jerusalem, in that city of God 
w^here all will be pure as snow and bright as the sun 
at midday. Let us destroy the body of sin, as St. 
Paul counsels us, and it will become a glorious body 
in heaven, 

PEAYEE 

my God, give me the strength and courage neces- 
sary to wage constant war upon my body and its senses. 
Turn these instruments of sin into instruments of 
penance and mortification, that they may one day be 
glorified in heaven. 

Resume, page 187. 

Since the body shares here below in the works of 
the soul, it is just that in heaven it should partake of 
its happiness. This is indeed a truth of faith. 

If we have lived as saints : 

1. Our glorified body shall shine like the sun. 

2. It shall be gifted with an agility like that of the 
angels themselves. 

3. Eaised up in glory, it shall know no more pain, 
nor sorrow, nor sickness, nor death. 

4. Its senses shall be a source of ineffable felicity. 

5. Each of its members shall be clothed with a special 
glory, according to the virtues of which it has been the 
instrument. 

— Let us, then, live as saints. Let us now : 

1. On every occasion subject the body to the soul. 

2. Make it serve as an instrument to glorify God. 

3. Beware of using, to look at the world and its van- 



298 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ities^ those eyes which are destined to behold Jesus 
Christ. 

4. Withhold from listening to profane discourse those 
ears which are destined to hear the choirs of heaven. 

5. Eespect our body which is destined to be one day 
a living stone of the heavenly Jerusalem. 



FORTY-NINTH MEDITATION 
THE HAPPINESS OF THE ELECT IS ETERNAL 

That being justified by his grace, we may be heirs, ac- 
cording to the hope of life everlasting. — Titus iii. 7. 

COXSIDEEATIOJ^ 

Men^ in their eagerness for happiness^ seek it with 
unwearied industry; but as it has no existence upon 
earthy all their efforts are unsuccessful. Sometimes^ 
however^ a shadow of what they pursue meets their 
eyes; and they experience some joy and satisfaction; 
but they soon learn that it is the appearance, not the 
reality, which they possess. All the joys of this world 
are too imperfect to complete our happiness; moreover, 
they are few, while we look for vv^hat is manifold and 
lasting. They are superficial in their nature, and we 
would fain have them penetrate every fibre of our being. 
They are interwoven with crosses and afflictions, and 
we would wish them to be free from every sorrow. 
They are short-lived, ending almost with the beginning 
of their existence, and we lament that they cannot be 
permanent. 

how very different are the joys of heaven ! They 
are superabundant; they are like an impetuous river 
overflowing its banks. They penetrate our whole na- 
ture, memory, understanding, imagination, will, and 

299 



300 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

senses; they are free from every sufferings from every 
disquietude. Moreover ;, they are permanent; they are 
to last forever without alteration or diminution. Let 
us meditate on this last characteristic of the happiness 
of heaven^ for it is specially suited to make us appre- 
ciate and desire to attain the joys of the elect. 

Yes^ the happiness of the elect is everlasting; it will 
have neither end nor diminution. Our Lord himself 
reveals this to us: The just shall go into everlasting 
life^ and again^ Your heart shall rejoice; and your joy 
no man shall tahe from you,^ 

Moreover^ since the happiness of the just is perfect, 
it must necessarily have no end; for were it to have 
an end, the blessed would necessarily look forward to 
that end and sorrow at the thought that they were 
one day to be deprived of their happiness. The more 
abundant and delicious their joys, the greater would be 
their fear and disquietude at the thought of losing 
them. 

This happiness cannot end, because its elements are 
immortal and everlasting, being the vision and love of 
God by man. God, the object of this vision and this 
love, is infinite and eternal, and the soul which con- 
templates him is, though finite, yet immortal. Even 
the body, sharing therein the happiness of the soul, 
and having conquered death, can no longer die. The 
angels and saints also who will contribute to increase 
this happiness, are immortal. There is, therefore, no 
perishable element in heaven; nothing of all that con- 
stitutes the happiness of the saints, will cease to exist. 

This happiness cannot end, because nothing on the 
^Matt XXV. 46. ^j^i^^ ^vii. 22. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 301 

part of God or of creatures will destroy or diminish 
it. God, who is unchangeable^, will always recompense 
the virtues of those who have merited to possess him; 
and recompense them eternally, because of his prom- 
ises and of the merits of Jesus Christ. Creatures can 
be no obstacle to this; because it is in God alone that 
the saints find their happiness. The elect cannot di- 
minish it ; they can never desire the end of their happi- 
ness, since the contemplation of infinite beauty must 
always have the same attractions for them; and they 
can never deserve to be deprived of it, because they 
are impeccable and confirmed in grace. All will be 
able to say with St. Paul: / am sure thai neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow- 
ers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, 
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall he 
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord!' 

The happiness of the elect will therefore never end; 
they are assured of this, and that certainty makes it 
perfect. They reign with Jesus Christ, and of his 
I'ingdom there shall he no end^ They see themselves 
encompassed by glory, which they know is incorrupti- 
ble. They feel that they possess the greatest of all 
goods, and they are certain that it wilh never be taken 
from them. 

Each one of the elect will have always present to 
his mind this consoling thought: "I am infinitely 
happy, and shall be so forever. My heart is forever 
immersed in an ocean of the purest delights. I possess 
perfect and unspeakable felicity, and shall forever pos- 
*Rom. viii. 36-39. ^Luke i. 33. 



302 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

sess it. My soul and all its faculties, my body and all 
its senses^ are steeped in a happiness which will never 
end! 

"As long, then, as God shall be God, this happiness 
will be my inheritance, and will possess for me the 
same novelty, the same freshness. I shall always en- 
joy the same contentment, the same transports that I 
have experienced since I came into this abode of happi- 
ness. Yes, and throughout eternity, God will offer me 
new perfections to admire in him, new motives to love 
him with a love always new, new reasons to appreciate 
my happiness, and new lights to understand its great- 
ness.^^ 

The consideration that their happiness is eternal is 
to the saints a never ending source of joy, and estab- 
lishes them in perfect peace. It has also other effects 
upon them, which it will be profitable to us to call to 
mind. It gives them great esteem for the grace of 
God, by which their good works during the brief period 
of their life on earth merited an everlasting recom- 
pense. It inspires them with the liveliest gratitude to 
Jesus Christ, who merited these graces for them. It 
makes them prize their sufferings in this world, which, 
though momentary and light, as St. Paul said, ivorlv 
above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory/ 
and they exclaim in transports of love : "What ! 
Lord, for a few moments^ suffering and privation, so 
great a happiness, and forever ! We had only, as it 
were, a day to be just, and behold thou dost reward us 
during an eternity.^' 

^2 Cor. iii. 17. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 303 

APPLICATION 

Let this consideration^ that the happiness of the elect 
is eternal^ make ns set a true value on divine grace, 
by which we can merit it. Let this thought make us 
consider as true riches the hardships and afflictions 
that procure such happiness. Let it also help us see 
the vanity and nothingness of purely temporal bless- 
ings. 

When viewed in the light of a happy eternity, what 
is all prosperity that passes away? What is short- 
lived glory ? What are perishable health and life ? What 
are earthly advantages, since they all have an end ? 
how little esteem they deserve from us who were 
created for what is eternal! 

Let us persevere in the service of God, and gener- 
ously consecrate all our life to him. When compared 
with eternity, what is the little time we are to sojourn 
here? And yet it is by the good employment of this 
short period that we may merit endless felicity. 

Xo doubt it costs something to- persevere in virtue : 
nature cries out against the vigilance over self that 
one must constantly maintain. ^^It is very hard,'^ it 
says, ^^to be always watching oneself, always mortifying 
oneself, always fighting against and subduing oneself." 
^^Yes," we answer without hesitation, '^'^it is very hard, 
'but it will not last long; there is no eternity in this 
world; the eternity that we should prize or fear is in 
the life to come." Courage, then, courage ! the time 
of combat is short, the reward of victory, will be 
eternal. 



304 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PEAYEE 

Open my eyes, Lord^, to the vanity of what passes 
away^ that I may truly and sincerely love what is 
unchangeable; that I may despise all things here be- 
low, to esteem thee and to be solicitous to please thee 
alonC;, my God, so that by thy grace, I may merit to 
possess thee for all eternity. 

Resum§, page 188. 

In this life joys are rare, superficial, evanescent, and 
intermingled with afflictions; in heaven they are super- 
abundant, complete, pure, and eternal. Let us medi- 
tate on this last characteristic. The joys of heaven are 
unending. 

1. Jesus Christ teaches it in these words: "The 
good shall go into life everlasting.^^ 

2. The happiness of the saints is perfect ; but it could 
be so only on condition that it last forever. 

3. God is its author: now, God is eternal, immutable; 
he will always wish the happiness of the elect. 

4. They shall always wish it themselves. 

5. N^othing created can ever disturb or weaken it. 

• — Let us think of the eternity of bliss in heaven; 
and, 

1. Let us judge the things of time from only that 
point of view. 

2. Let us value nothing but heaven and what can 
merit it for us. 

3. Let us shun whatever might make us lose it. . 

4. Let us devote ourselves wholly to the service of 
God. 

5. Let us combat our passions courageously, con- 
sidering the immortal crown which shall be the reward 
of our victory. 



FIFTIETH MEDITATION 
THE THOUGHT OF HEAVEN 

My son, look upon heaven. — 2 Machabees vii. 28. 
CONSIDERATION 

Nothing is more useful to a Christian than fre- 
quently to recall the thought of heaven, lifting his soul 
to that happy abode and longing for that true country 
wherein he is to be filled with joy and to possess God 
securely forever. The thought of heaven makes us^ 
with all the ardor of our souls, sigh for that day when 
we shall be admitted, while with the holy David we 
exclaim: How lovely are thy tabernacles, Lord of 
hosts: my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of 
the Lord, My heart and my -flesh have rejoiced in the 
living Ood^ 

The thought of heaven excites in us both the desire 
of seeing and possessing God, and regret at not being 
able to do so upon earth. It makes us weary of our 
exile in this valley of tears, and cry out with the saints : 
"0 when will the day of eternity come; when will 
these walls that separate me from my God be broken 
down? When shall I possess the Supreme Good, the 
sole object of my desires, the privation of whose pres- 
ence causes me so many sighs and tears? When shall 

iPs. Ixxxiii. 1, 2. 
305 



306 MEDITATIO>^S ON OUR LAST EXD 

I behold him? When shall I be inebriated with the 
wine of his love? When will the hunger and thirst of 
my soul be appeased? Beautiful heaven^ abode of hap- 
piness^ it is to thee I look ; it is the hope of possessing 
thee that sustains and encourages me. I learn by com- 
parison with thee how vain and contemptible are all the^ 
goods of this life/' 

What are earthly riches^ honors^ and pleasures 
when compared with the riches, honors, and enjoy- 
ments of heaven? What is this short-lived existence 
in comparison with eternity? What is the magnifi- 
cence of nature and art, when contrasted with the 
splendors of the new Jerusalem? IN'othing, absolutely 
nothing; and whoever makes the comparison must ex- 
claim with St. Ignatius : "0 how vile this earth appears 
when I look up to heaven !" or with the author of the 
^^Imitation :'^ "0 when will the evils of this life be 
ended? When shall I be delivered from the slavery of 
sin ? When shall I become truly free ? When shall I be 
secure from all suffering of soul and body, and be 
established in true peace? How I grieve, my God^ 
that the things of earth prove such an obstacle to fix- 
ing my heart on those of heaven V^^ 

The thought of heaven which makes us despise earth- 
ly possessions and weep over the miseries of this life, 
also consoles us wonderfully in our sufferings. If we 
are the victims of injustice, we know that in heaven 
justice will be done us; that there the words of Jesus 
Christ shall be fulfilled: Rejoice and he exceeding glad, 
because your reward is very great in heaven.^ 

If death has taken from us those whom we love, let 

^Imit. Bk. III. Chap, xlviii. 3. ^i^Iath. v. 12. 



MEDITATIOlSrS O^- OUR LAST END 307 

lis remember that they have not left us forever; that 
thej^ have but gone before us to the citj^ of happiness, 
where they hope that we shall soon rejoin them. If 
we are tried, let us school ourselves to patience by these 
words of St. Paul : Our present tribulation, which is 
momentary and light, worlceth for us above measure 
exceedingly an eternal weight of glory} We may also 
reflect that they will soon come to an end, and that if 
Ave have made a good use of them, they will be fol- 
lowed by an eternity of bliss. Then indeed may we ex- 
claim: "What does it matter how much I suffer, pro- 
vided I come at last safely into port !" 

^Alien we are about to sink under our labors, the 
thought of heaven raises our drooping strength; for it is 
like a kind voice saying to each of us: "Courage, my 
brother, thou wilt rest in thy Father^s mansion. All 
that passes away with time is short; soon the hour 
will come when all labor and trouble shall cease.^^ 

It is in heaven that these words of the Apocalypse are 
fulfilled: And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes.^ It is with this thought that a good God consoles 
us in our exile and lightens our labors. By it also he 
animates us to the practice of every Christian virtue. 

IMoreover, it is by it that he encourages us to perse- 
vere to the end in our labors, and in the practice of 
obedience and humility. "My son,^^ says he to each of 
us, "do not lose courage. Consider that the end of thy 
labors is at hand. See what will be their fruit. Think 
of the exceeding greatness of their recompense. Eternal 
life is well worth such struggles ; yea and far greater V^ 

"Thou wilt experience temptation, but raise thy eyes 
^2 Cor. iv. 17. ^^poc. xxi. 4. 



308 Meditations on our last end 

to heaven, where I abide with my saints ; they also had 
great assaults to sustain during life; now they enjoy 
happiness^ rest and security, and will dwell with me 
forever in my kingdom. So will it be with thee, if 
thou but imitate them. In heaven thou wilt gather 
with them the fruits of obedience and submission, and 
will find every wish fully gratified. Happy are they who 
humble themselves; for, since the gate of heaven is 
low, only such can enter, as have become like little 
children ?^ 

^^Couldst thou see the eternal crowns of the saints, 
and the delights enjoyed now by those whom the world 
looked upon with contempt, thou wouldst humble thy- 
seslf profoundly, and prefer obedience to authority, were 
it only over one; thou wouldst be solicitous for nothing 
of this world, thou wouldst feel pleasure in suffering 
everything and from every one, and look upon it as the 
greatest of favors to be reckoned as of no account 
among men.^^^ 

APPLICATION 

Let the thought of heaven be always present to our 
minds, and sustain us in our journey through life. 
"Let us,^^ says St. Augustine, "never lose sight of the 
country where we shall soon arrive.^^ We shall indeed 
meet with sufferings on our way thither, but let us 
bear in mind that they will be followed by endless 
bliss. And what is all that we can do or suffer, when 
compared with the recompense prepared for us? 

it is hard, no doubt, to fight against one's inclina- 
^Imit Bk. iii. Chap, xlvii. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 309 

tions^ to conquer oneself : but there is heaven ! It is 
hard to condemn oneself not to speak a word without 
permission ; but then there is a heaven ! It is very 
painful to sacrifice one^s will;, to live under obedience 
and to humble oneself before all : but there is heaven ! 
It needs great efforts and much patience to live in 
peace with all^, to work with profit among our pupils, 
to be constantly a subject of edification : but then there 
is heaven ! Yes, there is heaven ! Behold the recom- 
pense for all our sacrifices ! Can we ever be afraid of 
making too many? 

Let us, then, recall this salutary thought when our 
souls experience any faintness, when they seem to 
hesitate between God and the world, when they are 
inclined to be dejected and dispirited. then let us 
raise our eyes, and think of the glorious crown in the 
hands of Jesus Christ which he is ready to place upon 
our brow, if, arming ourselves with courage, we cor- 
respond to grace and persevere faithfully in virtue. 

PKAYER 

God, who dwellest in light inaccessible, and be- 
fore whom the angels veil their faces with their wings, 
when wilt thou suffer the brightness of eternal day to 
dawn upon my sight and put to flight the deep night 
in which I am buried? Lord, thou hast prepared 
for us a day of happiness of whose brightness that of 
the sun is but a feeble image. But why does it so long 
delay its coming? When, Lord, w411 its beauty break 
upon my sight? When shall my soul, freed from its 
bonds, take its flight to find rest in thee, the centre of 



310 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

my happiness? When will it be suffered to see^ to 
praise^ and to love thee for eternity? 

Resume, page 188. 

The thought of heaven is one of the most useful 
helps for the Christian. 

1. It excites in him an ardent desire for the happi- 
ness which is prepared for him. 

2. It detaches him from the things of this world. 

3. It inspires him with a lively horror of sin. 

4. It consoles him in his sorrows; it helps him to 
bear with courage the pains of life. 

5. It encourages and strengthens him in the accom- 
plishment of the good which God demands of him. 

— Let us, then, think often of heaven, but especially, 

1. ^¥heIL temptation assails us. 

2. When labor weighs heavily upon us. 

3. ^Vhen the pains of life overwhelm us. 

4. When we feel our heart inclining toward creatures. 

5. When God demands of us some sacrifice. 



FIFTY-FIRST MEDITATION 
NOVEMBER 1— FEAST OP ALL SAINTS 

I saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all 

nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing 

before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, 

clothed with white robes, and palms in 

their hands. — Apoc. vii. 9. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The Church has established the feast of this day 
principally to bless and glorify God in his saints; to 
congratulate them on their happiness; to implore their 
intercession; to place before our eyes the virtues which 
they practised^ and to incite ns to imitate their example 
with fidelity^ courage and perseverance. 

God alone is essentially good. By his grace, if men 
co-operate with it, he is the Author of all sanctity. It 
is he who, in and with the just on earth, practises vir- 
tue, prays, labors and does penance. He it is who is 
the Architect of the new Jerusalem. He it is who, 
after having chosen his followers, makes them the liv- 
ing stones of that city of happiness, that temple of the 
Lamb where all magnificence and perfect harmony of 
parts are to be found. 

Sanctity is the life of God within us, our confor- 
mity to his image through his life-giving Spirit. It is 
even upon earth a sublime communication of himself, 

311 



312 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

which is to receive its full development in heaven. 
How, then, can we call this to mind without blessing 
him who is its Author? How can we think of the 
beauty, the glorj^, the happiness of the saints without 
extolling the generosity of him who has made them 
what they are, given them all that they possess, and 
who, if we show equal fidelity, will use the same liber- 
ality towards us ? 

The angels and the saints never cease praising God 
for his bounties and singing hymns of thanksgiving, as 
St. John intimates in this passage of the Apocalypse: 
I heard as it were the voice of many multitudes in 
heaven, saying: Alleluia. Salvation, and glory, and 
power, is to our God} With them let us bless the 
Sovereign Lord who shows his happiness with them and 
crowns his own gifts in crowning them. With them 
let us bless Jeeus Christ, who, by his humiliations, his 
sufferings, and his death, recovered for us our right to 
heaven, and opened to us that abode of peace and hap- 
piness. Let us glorify our Divine Eedeemer who came 
upon earth to rescue man from the abyss of sin and 
death, to place him again in the way of sanctification, 
and to enable him to work out his glorious destiny. 

Happy they who, after being united to him on earth, 
are now united with him in heaven ! With the Church 
let us congratulate them on their happiness, but still 
more on the virtues by which they merited it. how 
great is their happiness ! how wide and deep the river of 
consolation that flows through the city of God! How 
beautiful the abode of the King of kings, wherein he 
displays all his magnificence! How rich those who 
^Apoe. xix. 1. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 313 

are admitted within it, and on whom he pours forth 
his treasures without stint or measure ! Of them it is 
written: Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, 
Lord; they shall 'praise thee forever and ever^ 

You are happy, ye elect of God, who see him face to 
face! Your trials are ended; your labors have been 
followed by perfect repose; no fear, no inquietude can 
penetrate to your souls; every wish of yours is accom- 
plished; your hearts, like the seraphim before the 
throne of the Most High, burn with pure love ; you 
have attained the end of your existence, and enjoy 
perfect and unending felicity! Deign to remember us 
who are still exposed to the dangers from which you 
have been delivered. 

By this festival the Church proclaims the dogma 
of assistance given to us by the saints, and invites us 
to invoke them as protectors. In her office she begs 
of God that the faithful may be preserved through the 
intercession of the saints. She calls on Mary, our chief 
Patroness, who implores the clemency of the Father. 
She begs the blessed in heaven to remove all evils 
from us. She entreats the apostles, the prophets, the 
martyrs, the confessors, the virgins, all the saints of 
God, to obtain for us pardon and the grace to be one 
day admitted with them to the kingdom of heaven. 
Let us unite with the Church, and offer up fervent 
prayers to the saints. Let us beg them to aid us by 
their protection, that we may arrive at that heavenly 
country to which they have gone before us. 

But let us not forget what they have done to merit 
this. The Church in her office reminds us of it. She 
^Ps. Ixxxiii. 5. 



314 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

tells US that they are true servants of God;, faithful 
disciples of Jesus Christ who conformed their lives 
to the maxims of the Gospel; Avho practised poverty 
of spirit^ detachment from creatures, humility, sweet- 
ness, patience, and charity ; who kept their hearts pure ; 
who hungered and thirsted after justice; who loved 
peace, pardoned their enemies, suffered with joy for 
the name of Jesus, in the hope of the recompense re- 
served for them in heaven. Such were their works. 
Behold the price at which they purchased the blessings 
which they now possess. 

Let us ask them if, Avhen they compare their present 
state with the trials of this life, they think they have 
purchased it too dearly, and let us hear them answer 
us in the words of the apostle: Present tribulation, 
which is momentary and light, worketh , . . ahove 
measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory^ How 
they now rejoice over the better part which they have 
chosen ! How truly they felicitate themselves on hav- 
ing despised the world and its deceitful enjoyments, 
resisted the temptations of the devil and the flesh, sup- 
ported with patience the sufferings of life, and taken 
up and carried with joy the cross of Jesus Christ ! 

How those who had embraced the religious life now 
rejoice that they corresponded to the grace of their 
vocation, were faithful to their vows, kept their rules, 
tended constantly to perfection, and labored zealously 
for the salvation of souls ! With what transports do 
they bless God for the trials to which he subjected 
them: trials that gained them the eternal glory which 

^2 Cor. iv. 7. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 315 

they now enjoy, and which all may enjoy who faith- 
fully imitate their virtues ! 

APPLICATION 

Let us walk in the footsteps of the saints, that we 
may one day be numbered in their company. They 
lived the life of Jesus Christ; let us imitate them. 
Let us, according to our state, do the works which they 
have done. Let us enter resolutely on the way which 
they have trod, and in which they invite us to follow^; 
and let us take care never to stray from it. After their 
example, let us be fervent in the service of God, mor- 
tifying our senses, praying, working, suffering, and 
devoting ourselves to the service of our neighbor. Like 
them, let us love Jesus Christ with all our heart, and 
let us prove our love by taking his cross upon our 
shoulders. 

Without doubt, all this is repugnant to human na- 
ture, which loves its own ease. But can we hesitate 
w^hen we see what the saints have done under circum- 
stances far more trying than ours; when we remem- 
ber how they crucified the flesh and its concupiscences, 
in order to live a life of grace? 

Yes, let us imitate them, whatever it may cost; and 
if we experience difficulty and discouragement, let us 
raise our eyes to heaven, and, contemplating its mag- 
nificence, exclaim: ^^Behold the recompense which 
God reserves for me if I remain faithful to his law. 
The happiness which is the inheritance of the elect will 
be mine also if, like them, I do his adorable will in all 
things." 



316 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PEAYER 

Blessed citizens of heaven^ angels and saints who be- 
hold God in his glory and are all-powerful with him^ 
deign to intercede for ns who are exposed to so many 
perilS;, and obtain for us strength and courage to fol- 
low faithfully in the path of justice which you have 
trod^ that^ like you^ we may arrive at that everlasting 
happiness which awaits the just at the end of lifers 
weary pilgrimage. Amen. 

Resume, page 189. 

The Churchy in the feast of this day^ 

1. Blesses and glorifies God in those whom he has 
made sharers of his glory. 

2. Felicitates the elect and rejoices in their happi- 
ness. 

3. Invokes them^ and implores their intercession. 

4. E^minds us upon what conditions they gained 
heaven. 

5. Excites us to imitate the saints, that, following 
in their footsteps, we may reach the same end. 

— Let us enter into the spirit of this feast : 

1. Let us praise God in his saints. 

2. Let us glorify the blessed in heaven. 

3. Let us beg of them to intercede for us. 

4. Let us consider what their works have been. 

5. Let us imitate them, and thus render ourselves 
worthy to share one day in their glory. 



FIFTY-SECOND MEDITATION 

NOVEMBER 2— ALL SOULS' DAY 

Lay out thy bread and thy wine upon the burial of a just 
man. — Tobias iv. 18. 

CONSIDERATION 

After the feast of the Church triumphant comes that 
of the Church suJBfering. Yesterday we celebrated the 
glory of the saints in heaven; to-day we make our 
memento of the souls in purgatory. with what just 
reason has this feast been instituted ! We live^ alas ! in 
cruel forgetfulness of the dead. Carried away by the 
whirl of excitement and the pressure of business, we 
scarcely think of those who are no longer with us; we 
close our ears to the groans and lamentations that rise 
from the grave. Therefore the Church to-day, by her 
ceremonies, her prayers, the exhortations of her min- 
isters, the decorations of her altars, and the mournful 
peal of her church-bells, bids us, "Remember the dead/' 

Yes, remember the dead, and pray for the souls in 
purgatory. What Christian heart can refuse to do so ? 
Those souls suffer inexpressible torments, the least of 
which, could we conceive it, would terrify our imagi- 
nation. They have the greatest, the most ardent desire 
of seeing and possessing God ; and God withdraws from 
them till they have paid the debt due to his justice. 

317 



318 MEDITATIOXS OX OUK LAST EXD 

How painful must this separation be to them! How- 
many tears must it not cause to flow ! To be kept at a 
distance from God^ who is the Sovereign Good, is to 
be in the most absolute destitution and indigence, to 
be tortured with hunger and thirst. It is a suffering 
so great that, were, it not for the certainty of being 
one day delivered from it^ it would equal the torments 
of hell. 

Not only are those souls deprived of the sight of 
God; they also suffer the punishment of fire. Fire 
penetrates them, fire devours them. They are cast into 
a furnace kindled by the justice of God. They see, 
touch, breathe nothing but flames, scorching flames that 
burn to the very marrow, lurid flames that produce 
only a hideous night, flames that many authors have 
believed to be the same as those of hell. 

And these souls are the souls of our brethren in 
Jesus Christ, our relatives, our companions in religion, 
our benefactors, our pupils; of those whom we have 
loved and mourned. Let us prove the sincerity of our 
love and our tears by the relief which we offer. This is 
not only possible, but even very easy for us. How can 
we do it ? By prayers, by assisting at the holy sacrifice 
of the Mass, by communions, works of piety, provided 
that in all cases we have an intention of gaining the 
indulgences attached thereto. All these things are ordi- 
nary acts in our holy state ; yet they would afford 
great relief to the suffering souls, if offered up in their 
behalf. 

Happy is the rich man who helps the poor! We 
are rich, since we have at our disposal the merits of 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 319 

Jesus Christ, we to whom the inexhaustible treasures 
of the Church are open; and the souls in purgatory 
are poor, and ask our assistance. Can we be so heart- 
less as to refuse them? Which of us would willingly 
refuse to help a traveller dying of thirst, who asked of 
us a few drops of water in the name of Christ? And 
yet, is not that precisely what we do when we turn a 
deaf ear to the souls in purgatory ? 

It is true, they are perfectly resigned, and bless the 
hand that chastises them. But yet they turn towards 
us their eyes, bathed in tears, and from the depths of 
the abyss cry out : ''Have pity on me, have pity 071 me, 
at least you my friends; because the hand of the Lord 
hath touched me/ Listen to our supplications. Speak 
to the Lord, and he will hear you. Implore his mercy 
for us. You who love us, save us!'^ 

One must indeed have a heart of stone to remain 
unmoved by such tears and lamentations; to be un- 
willing to undertake and sacrifice everything to ap- 
pease the divine justice in their behalf, and obtain their 
deliverance, or at least a diminution of their suf- 
ferings. 

Such indifference would also argue a want of cor- 
respondence on our part to the designs of God. These 
souls are united to him in charity ; they are spouses and 
members of Jesus Christ; it is he who suffers in them. 
how ardently the Father wishes us to appease his 
justice, that he may display to them only mercy and 
liberality ! Their deliverance glorifies him ; for it in- 
creases the number of the elect who celebrate his good- 
ness and generosity. 

^Job xix. 21. 



320 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

The assistance which we render them associates ns 
with Jesus Christ, our Eedeemer. He has offered satis- 
faction for them^ and we apply his merits. He puts 
into our hands the chalice of his bloody that we may 
pour some drops of it into that abyss of fire where they 
are held captive. What greater charity than this can 
be conceived ? This is the noblest exercise of the queen 
of virtues. 

Devotion to the souls in purgatory is pre-eminently 
advantageous to us. In its practices it is most meri- 
torious, and contributes greatly to enrich us for heaven. 
It is an abundant source of blessings. Blessed, says 
the royal prophet, is lie that understandeth concerning 
the needy and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in 
the evil day^ It is on him who relieves these suffering 
souls that this blessing falls. Yes, God will deliver 
him in the evil day. A time will come when he too 
must render an account of his life before the tribunal 
of Jesus Christ, and perhaps be condemned to pur- 
gatory. Then will he be rewarded for what he has 
done for others. The prayers of the just upon earth 
will be applied to him and will hasten the day of his 
deliverance. 

Besides, he will have the protection of the saints in 
heaven. The souls that he helped to deliver will re- 
member him, and after obtaining from God many 
graces for him during life, they will procure for him 
a shortening of his sufferings after death, that through 
endless ages he may join them in celebrating God^s 
infinite mercy. 

iPs. xl. 2. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 321 

APPLICATION 

While meditating on the sufferings of purgator}% let 
lis remember that they are caused by venial sins not 
yet pardoned^ or by mortal sins the guilt of which has 
been forgiven, but the full atonement for which has 
not yet been made. Let us, then, fear sin, and avoid it 
at any cost. Let us do penance for that which we 
have committed. Let us in this life discharge our 
debt to divine justice, and not put it off to that day 
when justice will be exercised in all its severity. 

As Christian teachers, let us be earnest in instilling 
into the minds of our pupils devotion to the souls in 
purgatory. From it the young will derive great moral 
benefits, for nothing is better calculated to develop in 
their hearts compassion, tenderness, filial love and 
gratitude. Moreover, it will be a source of many 
graces either to keep them in the path of virtue, or 
to lead them back to it if unhappily they have gone 
astray. 

Let us display all possible zeal for the deliverance 
of the souls in purgatory. Then, on the last day, Jesus 
Christ will address us in these words: Come, ye blessed 
of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you 
from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry 
and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me 
to drinJc / was in prison and you came to me.^ 

PEAYEE 

God, who dost delight to pardon, hearken to our 
• ^Matt. XXV. 34-36. 



322 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

prayers. Take pity on the suffering souls whom thy 
justice detains at a distance from thee, and by the 
merits of Jesus Christ, who offered himself in expi- 
ation for the sins of men, open to them the gates of 
heaven, that they also may join their voices to those 
of the angels and saints in celebrating thy infinite 
mercy forever. Amen. 

Resume, page 189. 

What faithful heart can refuse to practise devotion 
to the souls in purgatory ! 

1. These souls suffer inconceivable pains. 

2. These souls are dear to us. 

3. We can give them relief. 

4. They beseech us to do so. 

5. By assisting them we enter into the views of God, 
we give joy to the heart of Jesus, we acquire numer- 
ous merits, we assure ourselves of the protection of 
the souls w^hose deliverance we have hastened. 

— Therefore, as the Church exhorts us, 

1. Let us remember the souls of the faithful de- 
parted. 

2. Let us contemplate them in the fires of purga- 
tory. 

3. Let us hear them imploring our suffrages. 

4. Let us pray for them; let us mortify ourselves in 
order to hasten their deliverance ; let us assist at Mass, 
and offer up communions in their behalf. 

5. Let us cultivate in our pupils devotion to these 
holy souls. 



MEDITATIONS ON SIN AND 

THE SACRAMENT OF 

PENANCE 

FIRST MEDITATION 

SIN IN GENERAL 

Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent, for if thou 

comest near them they will take hold of thee. — 

Eccles. xxi. 2. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Sin is the only real evil^ the sovereign evil, the evil 
that has been the source of all other evils, the only 
evil which in truth is to be feared;, the only one to be 
avoided at any cost. Sin is a disobedience to the law 
of God, a violation of his orders, a refusal to submit to 
his supreme authority ; it is the rebellion of man against 
God. If the greatness of an offence is measured by 
the dignity of the person offended as compared with 
the offender, what must be the enormity of sin? 

He who is offended is the Master of heaven and 
earth, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He pos- 
sesses all authority, all power, and everything in both 
the natural and the supernatural order is subject to 
him. And it is man who offends him, man who is 

323 



324 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

nothing but weakness^, misery^ and degradation; who 
exists only by his kindness^ who owes to him all that 
he has and all that he is, and whom his hand holds 
suspended over the abyss of annihilation. we cannot 
conceive the heinousness of this offence, since infinity 
separates him who gives from him who receives the 
insult. 

Sin outrages God the Father whose image it effaces 
in the soul, God the Son whose blood it tramples on, 
and God the Holy Ghost whose illuminations and at- 
tractions it opposes or resists. 

Sin outrages all the perfections of God: his omni- 
potence which it defies, his wisdom which it ignores, 
his goodness which it abuses, his authority which it 
despises, his justice which it provokes, his liberality 
which it repays with ingratitude, and his providence 
whose designs it contravenes. 

Sin unites in itself the most odious characters; the 
character of rebellion against the Master of all things, 
for by his acts the sinner says, with the arch-fiend, 
I will not serve/ the character of rashness, presump- 
tion, and audacity, for the sinner is nothing in com- 
parison with him whom he insults; the character of 
perfidy, for every sin is a violation of most sacred 
promises, most solemn engagements; the character of 
ingratitude, for it is a base return made to a most lov- 
ing Father, a most devoted Friend, a most generous 
Benefactor. 

sinners, have you ever reflected on this ? He whom 
you offend is the one from whom you have received 
everything, and who has lavished upon you every care 
^Jer. ii. 20. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 325 

and attention; who came down from heaven to deliver 
you from death, and who, to save you, sacrificed his 
blood and his life. You ignore these favors that de- 
serve and claim from you the most unbounded gratitude. 
Nay, more : not only do you ignore God^s favors to you, 
but you turn them against God himself. 

What horror would not fill your breast if a beggar, 
after receiving a valuable gift from a charitable per- 
son, were to use it to injure and betray his benefactor ! 
And yet this is precisely what you do when you offend 
God and use the gifts of his bounty to oppose his 
divine will. Sin, then, must necessarily be infinitely 
hateful to God, and he must pursue it with his venge- 
ance wherever he meets it. What an evil must it not be 
since it thus merits the hatred of God, and compels him 
to exercise upon his creatures such severity as makes you 
shudder at the thought ! 

Sin is followed by the most deplorable consequences 
both to society and to individuals. It is either re- 
motely or immediately the source of all the miseries 
of which we are witnesses or victims. It is the 
cause of all the woes of humanity. It is the fountain 
from which spring forth all those sorrows that 
make this earth a valley of tears. It broke up the 
friendly intercourses of Adam and Eve with God, and 
drew the curse of heaven do^Ti upon them and their 
descendants. It shakes society to its very foundations, 
and introduces discord and ruin where union once pre- 
vailed. Woe to the family wherein it reigns ! Woe to 
the religious community into which it enters ! Dis- 
union and discord enter with it, and are soon followed 
by total ruin. 



326 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Sin dishonors the soul, robs it of its beauty, and 
reduces it to misery and disgrace by closing heaven 
against it. It disturbs and agitates the soul, making 
it wretched even in this life. It gives it over to re- 
morse which pierces it like an arrow or gnaws it like a 
worm. Tribulation and anguish^ says the Scripture, 
upon every soul of man that doetli eviV Peace flies 
from him, and he then experiences what an evil and 
hitter tiling^ it is to have abandoned the Lord his God. 

And yet^ the evils that are the consequences of sin 
in this world are in no way to be compared with those 
that are reserved for its punishment in the next. Let 
us ask the souls in purgatory what are the punish- 
ments of sin, and they will tell us of that prison of fire 
in which they are held captive, and will relate to us all 
the torments which they endure. Let us ask the same 
question of the damned, and they will answer by point- 
ing to the abyss in which they are plunged, the fire that 
devours them, and the unspeakable sufferings and des- 
pair which so affect them. my God ! what should we 
think of sin could we but see the torments by which 
it is punished in the dungeons created by thy justice! 

In comparison with sin, what are poverty, sickness, in- 
firmities and death but a mere nothing! Were it 
therefore necessary to sacrifice all the advantages of 
this world in order to avoid sin, all fortune, liberty, 
honor, health and life, no man should hesitate for a 
moment to do so. 

For the same reason, supposing that one sin, how- 
ever small, could procure us all advantages, or even 
that by committing it we could convert whole nations 
^Rom. ii. 9. =Jer. ii. 19. 



MEDITATION'S OX OUR LAST EXD 327 

and deliver from purgatory all the souls detained 
therein, even then we should not dare consent to it; 
for whatever glorj^ creatures are capable of rendering 
to God can by no means compensate for the offence 
done him by even one sin. Such is the teaching of the 
Churchy and by it we must regulate our conduct. 

APPLICATION 

Let us dread sin^ and fear even its shadow. Let 
us at every cost avoid so great an evil, and flee its 
occasions. Let us beware of exposing ourselves to 
temptation, for alas! in this life we stand upon a 
slippery incline, and need to use every precaution to 
keep ourselves from sin. 

Let us inspire our pupils with the most lively horror 
of sin, and let us direct our vigilance to keep it far 
from them. What greater service could we render 
them? AVhere can we find an object more worthy of 
our zeal as Christian teachers? 

Let us remember our past sins and mourn them be- 
fore God. With true contrition, let us prostrate our- 
selves before the Lord whom we have offended, and 
let us weep over our wanderings. Let us say to him, 
with the prodigal son, Father, I have sinned against 
heaven and before theef' and with David^ Turn away 
thy face from my sins, and hlot out all my iniquities.^ 

Let us do penance for our offences. Let us side with 
divine justice against ourselves, and punish our past 
infidelity to God^s law. How many saints have be- 
wailed through life a few sins of frailty! What then 
^Luke XV. 21. ^Ps. iv. 2. 



328 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

should we do^ whose sins have been so many and so 
grievous? Let us go with contrite hearts to the trib- 
unal of penance ; but let us go also with confidence and 
love^ for Jesus has satisfied for our sins, and through 
him we can obtain mercy. 

PEAYEK 

Jesus, Divine Lamb, who takest away the sins of 
the world, pardon me all the faults of which I may 
have been guilty. Eeconcile me to thy Father, and 
grant that I may persevere until death in the practice 
of virtue. I beg of thee these favors by the cross on 
which thou didst pour forth thy blood to effect my 
reconciliation, and through the intercession of thy 
most holy Mother, whom thou hast made the Refuge 
of sinners. 

R^sum^, page 316. 

how great an evil is sin ! 

1. It outrages God, who is infinitely perfect, being 
Sovereign of heaven and earth. 

2. It outrages him in all his perfections. 

3. It combines the most odious characters — rebel- 
lion, temerity, perfidy, ingratitude. 

4. It is the object of God's hatred. 

5. It has the most deplorable consequences in time 
and in eternity. 

— It is necessary, then, 

1. To fear it with a great fear. 

2. To avoid it at any cost, to shun its occasions. 

3. To inspire our pupils with horror of it. 

4. To deplore having committed it so often. 

5. To do adequate penance for it. 



SECOND MEDITATION 

THE SIN OF LUCIFER AND HIS ANGELS 

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer! — 
Isai. xiv. 12. 

CONSIDERATION 

Lucifer and his angels have fallen ! Let us meditate 
on this terrible fall^ and learn from it how great an 
evil it is to offend God^, and how terrible are the chas- 
tisements inflicted by his justice. 

In the beginning of time^ according to many doc- 
tors of the Churchy when God said, Be light madej the 
angels w^re created. In the first moment of their 
existence they presented themselves in millions before 
the throne of the Most High and offered him their 
adoration. What beauty, what perfection, in those 
spirits of light ! God W' as pleased to make them his 
privileged creatures out of the myriads of beings whom 
he called into existence. Their nature was superior 
to that destined for man; their intelligence was sub- 
lime and capable of contemplating truth, as it were, in 
its essence; their will was inclined to good, and tended 
naturally to the perfect accomplishment of the divine 
will. They were clothed with justice, innocence, and 
sanctity. God placed them near him, and, to a certain 
extent, he shared with them his happiness. In a word, 

^Gen. i. 3. 
323 



330 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

they were worthy ornaments of heaven^ where the Lord 
of all things displays his magnificence^ and where he 
prepares a dwelling place for his friends. 

Among them there was one who shone above the 
others^ and on whom God seemed to have exhausted his 
munificence. This was Lucifer, the first of these spirits 
of light, to whom the prophet Ezechiel alludes when 
he says: Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of 
wisdom and perfect in beauty ; thou wast in the pleas- 
ures of the paradise of God: every precious stone was 
thy covering; . . . thou wast perfect in thy ways from 
the day of thy creation until iniquity was found in 
thee^ 

Such was Lucifer ; but there came a time when, as 
the prophet says, iniquity ivas found in him, God 
wished the celestial spirits to glorify him for his gifts, 
and thus merit the perfect happiness for which he 
destined them ; and therefore subjected them to a trial 
and exacted of them a tribute of obedience. The greater 
number of them corresponded perfectly to his designs, 
and were therefore confirmed in the possession of eter- 
nal happiness ; but all did not follow their example. 

Lucifer, blinded by pride, and worshipping his own 
perfections, refused to submit to God, revolted against 
him to whom he owed all, and dragged with him in his 
rebellion a multitude of angels also blinded by self- 
esteem. Such was the first sin, which was to be, alas ! 
the beginning of so many others ! Such is the origin 
of evil, the source of that torrent of iniquity which 
was afterwards to desolate the earth and which will 
last as long as the world. 

^Ezecb. xxviii. 12-15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUK LAST END 331 

But how odious is not the sin of the angels! It is 
a sin of pride^ according to the words of Isaias to the 
fallen angel: And thou saidst in thy heart: I will 
ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the 
stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the cove- 
nant, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above 
the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High^ 

It is a sin of revolt ; for God^, speaking by the mouth 
of Jeremias to the rebel spirit^ addresses to him these 
reproaches : Thou hast broTcen my yoke, thou hast burst 
my bonds, and thou saidst: I will not served 

It is a sin of ingratitude^, as appears from the prophet 
Ezechiel : Thou ivast in the ^pleasures of the paradise of 
God until iniquity was found in thee,^ The wicked 
angels insulted him to whom they owed everything, 
and they insulted him because of his gifts, which they 
preferred to himself. 

It is a sin of scandal; for the sin of one angel was 
communicated with frightful rapidity to another, and 
so effected the ruin of an immense number of celestial 
spirits. Moreover, the sin was committed in heaven, 
the abode of sanctity, and committed with full knowl- 
edge and perfect freedom. 

What malice, then, was there not in that sin ! Con- 
sequently it was punished instantaneously and in the 
most terrible manner. ^"^Who is like to God ?" cried out 
the holy Archangel Michael, as he rallied round him 
the good angels; and immediately he hurled into hell 
the prince of pride and all who participated in his sin. 

But what a change then took place in their fallen 

^Isai. xiv. 13. 14. -Jer. ii. 20. 

^Ezech. xxviii. 13-15. 



333 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

spirits! Their intelligence, heretofore elevated and 
noble, was now busied with none but base and criminal 
thoughts; their will, once so holy, now aspired only 
to wickedness, tended only to evil; their hearts, once 
on fire with holy love, were now devoured by hatred. 
They had been destined to assist before the throne of 
the Most High and to offer up to him the prayers of 
men, and their ministry became one of iniquity and 
death. How art thou fallen from heaven^ Lucifer T 
cries out the prophet Isaias. ^^To what a condition art 
thou reduced ! The hand of the Lord hath struck thee, 
and thou shalt never again be other than the most 
miserable and contemptible of creatures V^ 

Lord, how terrible is thy justice ! Thou regardest 
neither the number of the guilty nor their dignity, nor 
the glory which they might have procured thee had 
they been restored to grace. Those guilty spirits com- 
mit sin, and immediately thy omnipotence hurls them 
from thy presence forever. Now, from the depths of 
hell, in their despair and anguish, they cry to us : It is 
a dreadful tiling to fall into the hands of the living 
God: 

APPLICATION 

Let us fear God and dread his judgments. Let us 
tremble at the thought that he did not show mercy to 
the rebel spirits, and let us exclaim in sentiments of 
just terror : If God spared not the angels that sinnedf 
how can I promise myself that he will spare me?^^ 

Let us keep our sins present to our minds and con- 

^Isai. xiv. 12. ^Heb. x. 31. 

»2 Pet xi. 4. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 333 

ceive a trtie sorrow for them ! Alas ! by them we are 
sunk as low as the devils. Let us humble ourselves^ 
sayings with St. Bonaventure^ "I behold myself, my 
God, more frightful than Lucifer. When pride sullied 
his beauty, no instance of thy vengeance had yet been 
given, and I, after beholding his chastisement, have 
despised thy orders. Thou didst establish him in 
justice only once, but as for me, thou hast restored me 
to it frequently. He abandoned a God who did not 
hinder him from forsaking his service, while I abandon 
a God who comes to seek me. . . . And if he and I 
have sinned, he offended a God who gave him no oppor- 
tunity of return, and I have offended a God who died 
to save me.^^ 

Let us, then, be convinced that we deserve to be 
placed under the very feet of Lucifer, and let us re- 
solve to humble ourselves before God and men. Let 
us be children of obedience, saying, in opposition to the 
deviL "I will serve thee, Lord, with constant and 
inviolable fidelity.'^ 

Like the good angels, let us be zealous for the glory 
of God. Let us correspond to all his designs upon us, 
and thus merit the happiness which the rebel angels 
lost, and which will be our inheritance if we persevere 
in virtue. 

Let us cherish a horror of sin, remembering the 
chastisement which it merited for Lucifer and his 
angels. Let us ask pardon of God for the sins which 
we have committed, and feel a most lively sorrow for 
them. Alas ! have not our sins all the characters of 
the sin of the angels ? Is^ not sinning in religion like 
sinning in heaven, and convicting ourselves of the most 



334 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

odious ingratitude? Let us, then, bewail our misfor- 
tune in offending God. So we shall find favor in his 
eyes and escape the frightful lot of the rebel angels. 

PEAYER 

I am seized with fear, my God, at the thought of 
thy judgments; for even the heavens are not pure in 
thy sight. Alas! what should I who am only dust 
expect? In thy angels thou didst find wickedness, 
what wilt thou not find in me, who am but weakness 
and corruption! Take pity on me, thy servant. I 
have sinned, but I implore thy mercy, and beg of thee, 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, to pardon me and 
give me the kiss of peace and reconciliation. Amen. 

Resume, page 316. 

Lucifer and his angels fell through pride and the 
spirit of independence. 

1. God had endowed them with a great number of 
- perfections. 

2. Wishing them to merit the happiness which he 
destined for them, he subjected them to a trial. 

3. But they refused to obey him. 

4. What malice in their sin which was at once a 
sin of revolt and of ingratitude, and which was com- 
mitted in heaven itself ! 

5. But how great is its punishment ! 
—No, God did not spare his angels ! 

1. Let us, then, fear to offend him. 

2. Let us dread sin more than death. 

3. Let us keep ourselves in the most profound hu- 
mility. 

4. Let us be truly obedient religious. 

5. Let us watch over ourselves, being mindful of our 
frailty. 



THIRD MEDITATION 
THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE 

Death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. — 
Rom. V. 12. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us consider how excellent was the state of Adam 
and Eve before their sin. With what gifts had not 
God favored them ! Their understanding was en- 
lightened with the clearest light;, their hearts were in- 
flamed with the fire of divine love and inundated with 
the sweetest joy; their innocent souls were full of 
peace and happiness; their passions all under subjec- 
tion. Everything in them was in order and con- 
tributed to their happiness. Everything around and 
about them contributed to the same end^ all creatures 
recognized their dominion, and they had for their 
abode a garden of delights where they procured with- 
out difficulty all that they could desire for their bodily 
needs. 

God, as the royal prophet says, made them a little 
less than the angels^ crowning them with glory and 
honor, and setting them over the works of his hands. 
He even came down from heaven to converse familiarly 
with them. They then possessed all the blessings that 

Ts. viii. 6, 7. 
335 



336 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

they could desire ; for St. Bernard says of the first man : 
"What was wanting to him who was guided by mercy, 
taught by truth, and borne in the arms of the God 
of peace?" Moreover, this world was placed under 
their dominion. God also destined them to reign in 
the next, where they were to replace the angels driven 
thence on account of their pride and disobedience. 

But, alas ! sin comes to destroy this beautiful sys- 
tem in the very beginning, and to strip our first par- 
ents of their admirable prerogatives. Wishing them to 
recognize his sovereign dominion over them, and to 
merit by fidelity to his orders both the happiness which 
they were enjoying and that also which he destined 
for them, he gave them this commandment: Of every 
tree of paradise thou shalt eat; hut of the tree of 
Icnowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat. For 
in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die 
the deaths 

It was easy for them to obey the Lord; but Eve 
listened to the insidious words of the serpent: she 
drew near the tree, and ate the forbidden fruit. After- 
wards she presented it to Adam, who, by a guilty com- 
plaisance, became, like her, a sinner. 

Such was the first sin committed in this world: a 
sin of imprudence on the part of Eve, who gave ear 
to the suggestions of the devil, thereby putting her- 
self directly in the danger of sin; a sin of weakness 
on the part of Adam, who accepted from Eve the deadly 
fruit which she offered him; a sin of pride for both 
Adam and Eve who committed it with the expectation 
of becoming like gods; a sin against God's veracity, in 
^Gen. ii. 16, 17. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 337 

venturing to doubt his words^ while they give credit 
to those of the spirit of lies; a sin of contempt of 
God, his authority, his justice, and his goodness; a 
sin of sensuality, of gluttony. 

Behold the characters of the sin ! But what fearful 
punishment does it not entail! Scarcely was it com- 
mitted when Adam and Eve discovered that the serpent 
had deceived them, and that God was true to his prom- 
ises. The serpent had said to them. You shall he as 
gods; and they see themselves debased to the level of 
the brute. They expected to derive pleasure from their 
act, and no sooner had they committed it than every- 
thing in them became disturbed, agitated, and an 
occasion of sadness. 

Formerly, the presence of God constituted all their 
happiness, but now so great is their dread of it that 
they hide from his sight. His voice, which used to 
fill them with joy, now pierces them with fear; they 
have a presentiment that he is about to pronounce the 
sentence of their condemnation. 

Their souls, stripped of grace and injured in all 
their faculties, are objects of horror in the eyes of 
God. Their minds are a prey to ignorance, doubt and 
error; their hearts are torn by a thousand tyrannical 
passions; their consciences are troubled, disturbed and 
fearful of divine justice, which soon punishes them as 
they deserve. They are driven ignominiously from the 
garden of paradise, and an angel forbids their return. 

The creatures that had been entirely submissive to' 
them now revolt against them, and become occasions of 
danger and suffering. The earth is cursed with steril- 
ity, producing of itself only brambles and thorns. 



338 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

Henceforth they must till it, for God has said to man : 
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 'bread!' Suffer- 
ings without number are to be their portion until they 
undergo the greatest of sufferings — death, with which 
God had threatened them and to which he now con- 
demns them, saying to Adam: Dust thou art, and into 
dust thou shalt return^ 

How many evils are the consequence of their sin ! 
And yet, these are far from being the onlj^ or even the 
greatest evils. Punished in themselves, Adam and Eve 
are likewise punished in their descendants, who shall 
be born children of wrath and enemies of God. To 
them also heaven is closed, while hell lies open, and 
the human race will tread the path that leads to it. 
This world is delivered over to famine, pestilence, war, 
and all their scourges. Numberless calamities and dis- 
asters will crush its wretched inhabitants, making this 
an abode of suffering, a valley of tears. 

Behold what sin has produced! How can we think 
of all this and not hate sin above all other evils ! With 
what horror the very name of sin should fill us ! 
How can we help feeling a supreme aversion for that 
monster which has caused so many miseries ? 

APPLICATION 

Let us abhor sin and shun it at every cost. Let us 

fear nothing so much in the world as sin. Let us flee 

'from it; let us flee from its ever}^ occasion. Let us 

resolutely separate ourselves from everything that can 

lead to evil. 

*Gen. iii. ID. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 339 

Let ns he prudent. Let iis not imitate Eve, who 
listened to tlie suggestions of the devil, looked at the 
forhidden fruit, and stretching forth her hand^ plucked 
it and raised it to her lips. When that tempter comes 
to US, let ns resist him vigorously; let us carefully re- 
frain from looking with the ej^es of our body or our 
mind on the object by which he excites our appetite. 

Let us do penance for our sins, which are, alas ! so 
numerous and so grievous. How long did not our 
first parents deplore their fault ! Adam expiated it by 
more than nine hundred years of labor, tears, and 
sacrifice. Like him, let us, as far as possible, give 
full satisfaction to the justice of God. 

Let us humble ourselves at the thought of the sin 
of Adam and Eve, by which we have lost all our great- 
ness in the natural order ; but let us above all 'humble 
ourselves at the thought of our own sins. how much 
more guilty are we than they ! They committed one 
sin ; they committed it before the redemption, and when 
they had little knowledge of the effects of divine jus- 
tice; and soon after committing it they repented of it 
and they atoned for it by long and rigorous penance. 
Our sins^ however, are numerous^ committed with mal- 
ice, in the presence of the cross ; committed in soul and 
body which have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus 
Christ; committed in spite of God^s threats and our 
knowledge of the severity of his judgments. Moreover, 
we offer little or no expiation ; perhaps, indeed, we have 
no sincere regret for our sins. 

Let us henceforth amend our course. Children of an 
erring father^ let us weep with him and for him, and 
for ourselves. Let us embrace the practice of penance, 



340 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

and obtain from the God whom we have oflEended both 
pardon for sin and restoration to the state of happiness 
from which we have fallen. 

PEAYER 

Jesns^ who far from abandoning man when he be- 
came a sinner^ didst give thyself up to atone for his 
offenceS;, remember thy mission of mercy and com- 
plete it in my behalf. Deliver me from the power of 
the devil; strengthen me against his attacks. With 
the help of thy grace I will have bnt one wish, and 
that is to be restored to thy favor and persevere in thy 
holy love. This I beg of thee, in the name of Mary, thy 
sinless Mother, the second Eve, who repaired the fault 
of the first, and to whose intercession thou canst refuse 
nothing. 

Resume, page 317. 

Let us consider the nature and the effects of the sin 
of Adam and Eve: 

1. Created in innocence, our first parents were happy. 

2. God gave them a commandment easy to keep. 

3. But the devil seduced Eve, who ate of the for- 
bidden fruit, and drew Adam into her sin. 

4. What a sin! It contained imprudence, weakness, 
pride, disobedience, sensuality, and contempt of God. 

5. Hence, how^ deplorable have been and still are its 
consequences ! 

— Being mindful of them, let us comprehend : 

1. That sin causes only torments. 

2. That the devil is false to his promises. 

3. But that God is faithful in his menaces. 

4. That at any cost we must avoid sin. 

5. That we must deplore the sins which we have 
committed, and do fitting penance for them. 



FOURTH MEDITATION 
THE MALICE OF MORTAL SIN 

Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and mak- 
ing a mockery of him. — Heb. vi. 6. 

CONSIDERATION 

WTio can adequately deplore the evil of mortal 
sin? Let us remember that it is a deliberate revolt of 
man against God^ a direct insult to all his perfections. 
It is a contempt of God^ his graces and his promises, 
an abuse of his favors, a violation of our most sacred 
engagements, a renewal of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, 
and a sacrilegious outrage to his divine heart. It is a 
deliberate disobedience of the law of God in a matter 
of importance. Whoever commits it shares the senti- 
ments of the rebel angel when he said: ''I will not 
serve, I will not obey.^^ 

Can a greater violation of order be conceived? The 
highest heaven with its millions of angels is perfectly 
submissive to God. The lower heaven, with its count- 
less stars, this world and all the creatures that com- 
pose or beautify it, faithfully execute his holy will. 
Man, man alone disturbs this admirable harmony, and 
dares say with full deliberation, "1 will not obey!^^ 

But who art thou, then, that risest against God? 
What art thou of thyself but misery and nothingness? 

341 



342 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

And is it thou^ dust and ashes, a leaf that is the sport 
of the wind, a vapor that quickly passes out of sight, 
that raisest thy will against his? On one side stands 
he who possesses all power^ all wisdom, and all justice, 
who says, ^"^Do this'^; and on the other art thou, who 
art all weakness, ignorance and error, and thou an- 
swerest, ^''I will not/^ What a horrible crime! What 
an insult to our Sovereign Master! What a defiance 
of his authority and his supreme dominion! 

Mortal sin offends the sanctity of God to which it is 
directly opposed; his justice, which it dares; his wis- 
dom^ of which it makes no account ; his goodness, which 
it abuses; his immensity and power, from whose con- 
trol it would escape. He who commits it would wish 
that God could neither see nor punish him; that he 
was destitute of immensity, of authority, of power; 
that is to say, that he was not God. Hence the state- 
ment of St. Bernard^ that sin, as far as possible, anni- 
hilates God. 

Mortal sin outrages God in his titles of Creator, 
Lawgiver, Eewarder and Avenger, Eedeemer, King, 
Father and Friend. He who commits it denies him his 
sovereign dominion, resists his orders, despises his re- 
wards and threats, annuls, in his own regard, the mer- 
its of Jesus Christ, acts as if independent of him, and 
deeply wounds that heart that entertains for man no 
feelings but those of goodness, tenderness, and bound- 
less love. 

Mortal sin outrages God the Father by profaning 
the supernatural life which we received in baptism, and 
by which we share in the divine nature. It outrages 
God the Son by renewing his passion, trampling his 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 343 

blood under our feet, and enabling his enemies to 
triumph over him. It outrages God the Holy Ghost by 
profaning his temple, banishing him from a heart in 
which he dwelt, and opposing the inspirations and 
lights of grace. 

Mortal sin is a preference of the creature to the 
Creator: To whom have you likened me, and made me 
equal f says God to those who commit it. Hear, ye 
heavens, and give ear, earth; I have brought up chil- 
dren and exalted them, but they have despised me.^ 
They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, 
and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, 
that can hold no water^ 

Placed between God and the creature, the sinner pre- 
fers the latter to God! Having to choose between 
supreme felicity and a false and transient joy, he gives 
the latter his preference. The object of a vile passion 
is esteemed above the infinite Good ! A miserable pleas- 
ure is more prized than infinite happiness ! The devils 
take the place of God, and it is to them that the soul 
sacrifices itself on the desecrated altar of its heart. 

Is it, then, credible that there are men capable of 
such blindness, knowing, moreover, that what God 
asks of them is not above their strength and is in- 
tended to secure their own happiness; that he helps 
them by his grace to keep his law; and that by resist- 
ing him they merit hell, with its everlasting fire and 
despair ? 

Mortal sin is stamped with the deepest ingratitude. It 
is a direct and grievous offence against the tenderest 
of Fathers, to whom we owe everything, who loves us 
^Isai. xlvi. 5. =Isai. i. 2. ^Jer. ii. 13. 



344 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

bejrond our power to conceive, and who proves his love 
by heaping his favors upon ns in the order of nature 
and in that of grace. Of these favors we not only 
make no account, but even turn them from their end; 
we abuse them so far as to employ them against the 
Giver! What detestable ingratitude! 

sinners, remember how you treat God, who has 
been so good to you. Could you be more indifferent to 
his claims if you had received nothing from him, if he 
were a stranger to you? What idea of mortal sin 
should such considerations give you? And you have 
not yet considered it in its relations to Jesus Christ. 
Eemember that it is directly opposed to him, and as 
far as sinners can do so, destroys his work of redemp- 
tion, and annuls his merits. Eemember that it calls 
forth his tears, that it deeply wounds his loving heart 
and renews his passion. 

Jesus, adorable Victim, thy love fastened thee to 
the cross, and made thee shed for our salvation the 
last drop of thy blood; and Ave sinners profane this 
blood, and, like the Jews, pass before thy cross, heaping 
insults upon thee. Eather we become thy executioners ; 
for, says the apostle, speaking of sinners, they crucify 
again to themselves the Son of God, and make a mock- 
ery of him^ 

APPLICATION 

Nothing whatever should inspire in our hearts so 
much hatred and aversion as mortal sin; and if we 
have committed it, nothing should so excite both our 
^Heb. vi. 6. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 345 

tears and our sorrow, for there is nothing more odious, 
more deplorable, and more dishonorable. 

Let us be well convinced of this, and instil the same 
conviction into the souls entrusted to our charge. Let 
us fill their minds with a horror of mortal sin, and 
for this purpose make use of catechisms, exhortations, 
reflections, everything at our disposal, taking care above 
all to avoid on our part every shadow of sin. 

Let us think of the dangers that we run from the 
three concupiscences within us; let us watch and pray 
that we may escape the snares of the enemy of our 
salvation. Let us prevent the evil in its beginning, 
carefully avoiding small faults, taking all the precau- 
tions prescribed by our rules, withdrawing resolutely 
from everything that could be an occasion of sin to 
us and lead us into the paths of iniquity, conformably 
to those words of Jesus Christ : If thy eye scandalize 
thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better 
for thee with one eye to enter into life than, having 
two eyes J to he cast into hell fire!' 

Let us humble ourselves at the remembrance of the 
sins we have committed, many of which perhaps were 
mortal. Let us, with the penitent saints, bewail our 
misfortune in offending God, and hasten to return to 
a loving Father who is always disposed to pardon us. 
Let us, by our return to virtue, console the heart of 
Jesus, which we have grieved, and to which nothing 
causes more joy than a true conversion. 
^Matt. xviii. 9. 



346 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PRAYER 

Thou hast made me understand^ my God, what an 
evil is mortal sin. grant by thy grace that I may 
never more commit it. Make me avoid its occasions, 
and thus prevent it at its source, for I desire to estab- 
lish myself in justice, and persevere therein. May I 
thus make myself agreeable in thy eyes and obtain 
mercy on the day when I shall appear before thee. 

Resume, page 318. 

How odious is mortal sin ! It is : 

1. A voluntary and deliberate revolt of man against 
God, of him who is nothing against him who is all. 

2. A direct offence to all the perfections of God; it 
is contempt of God, contempt of his graces and his 
promises. 

3. An abuse of his benefits, going so far as to turn 
them against him. 

4. A violation of the most sacred engagements. 

5. A sacrilegious outrage to the Heart of Jesus. 
— Yes, mortal sin is the supreme evil : 

1. Let us, then, conceive the most lively horror of it. 

2. Let us inspire therewith the souls who are con- 
fided to us. 

3. Let us never commit it. 

4. Let us sacrifice all to avoid it. 

5. Let us prevent it in its origin,^ and carefully avoid 
its occasions. 



FIFTH MEDITATION 

THE EFFECTS OP MORTAL SIN 

Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. — 
John viii. 34. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Let us judge of mortal sin as God himself judges of 
it, for he^ in his infinite wisdom, although all-merciful, 
yet punishes in a terrible manner those who are guilty 
of it. Let us judge of it by its effects, for the tree is 
known by its fruits. What, then^ are the fruits of 
mortal sin? 

What a sad picture is presented by the evils which it 
has brought in its train, and which it still continues 
to bring! A multitude of angels are guilty of it in 
heaven, and forthwith these spirits, so beautiful, so 
perfect, and called to a destiny so glorious, are cast 
into the depths of hell, where their only portion is 
sorrow, misery, ignominy and despair. 

Adam and Eve commit it in the earthly paradise, 
and God subjects them to labor, suffering, the miseries 
of life and death, and makes all their posterity sharers 
in their misfortunes. Mortal sin called down upon 
earth the waters of the deluge, and the fire that de- 
stroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; it raised God's arm 
against Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, and many other cities 

347 



348 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

that have been mined in punishment of their crimes. 
Mortal sin was the true cause of all the sufferings in- 
flicted on the adorable Victim who died for ns on 
Calvary. how great an evil must it then be! The 
Son of God^ the Holy of holies^ assumes the responsi- 
bility of atoning for it^, and behold his Father crushes 
him by his justice^ giving him np to a most cruel and 
ignominious death. 

Let US now consider the effects of mortal sin on the 
guilty soul. When this soul was still innocent it was 
beautiful in the eyes of God^ who beheld in it his own 
likeness. He was its Father^ Spouse^ Friend^ and 
Guide. It was in peace with itself and triumphed over 
the devil. It was rich in the gifts of grace^ and worthy 
to be placed with the angels in eternal happiness. How 
admirable^ then, was its condition ! 

But it ceases to watch over itself and tampers with 
danger; it falls into mortal sin; and at that very in- 
stant what a horrible change takes place in its rela- 
tions with God ! What a picture of ruin it presents 
to him who beholds it with the eyes of faith ! 

God no longer sees in it any resemblance to himself; 
it is to him an object of horror. It is stripped of its 
beauty and its glory. It is no longer the daughter of 
the Father, the spouse of the Son, the temple of the 
Holy Ghost : it has become the slave of the devil. That 
malicious spirit has usurped the place of Jesus Christ, 
and sits enthroned in its heart, while the Divine Mas- 
ter, whom it has abandoned, mourns over its fate. 

For it peace is no longer possible ! In place of the 
holy liberty which it previously enjoyed it submits to 
the most oppressive and humiliating slavery ; for the 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 349 

devil holds it enchained by shameful fetters; the world 
and its passions are its masters; remorse gnaws at its 
vitals; it lives in terror and alarm, and even on earth 
suffers a species of hell. 

sinful soul, what tears of pity thy condition should 
call forth! daughter of Zion, what has become of 
thy beauty! I see thee humbled, with thy face in the 
dust, and trampled beneath the feet of thy enemies. 
Nothing is left of all thy former glory. Yesterday 
thou wast a queen, and to-day thou art a miserable 
slave to the most cruel and hateful of tyrants. In thee 
are accomplished the words of St. Paul: Tribulation 
and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth eviV 
Frightful misery will be thy inheritance, the just wages 
of thy iniquit}^ 

Mortal sin strips the soul of all its merits for heaven, 
and so long as it retains possession prevents the soul 
from acquiring any more. Let us suppose a religious 
soul dedicated for many years to the service of him 
who does not suffer a glass of cold water given in his 
name to go without its reward. What a number of 
good works must that soul have done ! To what priva- 
tions must it not have subjected itself; and conse- 
quently what treasures must it not have accumulated 
for the next life ! But let it commit only one mortal 
sin, and all its treasures are lost ! It was a fruitful 
vineyard, giving joyful hopes to the cultivator; but a 
storm came upon it and laid it waste. It was a mag- 
nificent city, but fire reduced it to ashes. It was a 
vessel entering the harbor with a rich cargo, but a 
tempest arose and sunk it in the deep. To it may be 
^Rom. ii. 9. 



350 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

addressed the words of the Apocalypse: Thou say est: 
I am wealthy, and I have need of nothing ; and thou 
Tcnowest not that thou art tvretched, and miserable, and 
poor, andhliiid, and nahed^ 

Xot only has it nothing, but unless it returns to the 
state of grace^ it cannot even merit anything for heaven. 
Whatever good it may do cannot be counted for eter- 
nity. St. Paul says: If I should distribute all my 
goods to feed the poor .... and have not charity, it 
profiteth me nothing,^ The soul in mortal sin is in 
a state of deaths and all its works are dead^ and with- 
out value for heaven. 

The Holy Ghost has said by the mouth of Ezechiel : 
The soul that sinneth, the same shall die^ These words 
are verified in the sinner. ^^The body lives/' says St. 
Augustine^ ^^but the soul is dead. The noblest part is 
destroyed; the house is left standing, but the inmate 
lies dead within.^' ^^0 Christian/' adds he^ ^^there is 
no feeling in your hearty if^ weeping over the body 
from which the soul has departed, j'ou do not weep 
still more bitterly over the soul forsaken by God.'' 

Finally let us consider the consequences of mortal 
sin in the next life. If a man be guilty of it at the 
moment when he is struck down by death, all is lost 
for him. For him Jesus Christ is only an irritated 
Judge, who pronounces the sentence of damnation: 
^^Depart, thou cursed one, into everlasting fire." 

The unfortunate soul is at once plunged into the 
abyss of that fire in which all sufferings are centered; 
where nothing is heard but howls of rage and cries of 
despair, where the most absolute disorder reigns, where 

^Apoc. iii. 17. ^1 Cor. xiii. 3. *Ezech. xviii. 20. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 351 

for all eternity the soul has no other prospect tjian that 
of unending suffering. 

Let us contemplate Jesus Christ on Calvary, and a 
soul in hell, and then ask ourselves what kind of evil 
is mortal sin. 

APPLICATION 

Let us fear and abhor mortal sin; we can never fear 
or abhor it as much as it deserves. Let us fear it more 
than the loss of worldly goods, of honor, health, and 
life. To avoid it, let us adopt all the precautions pre- 
scribed to us; let us flee from its occasions at every 
cost. Let us never tamper with what might involve 
us in so great a misfortune. 

Let us bewail the unhappiness of those who are 
guilty of it. Let us pray for their return to grace, 
and, as far as obedience allow^s us, let us labor with 
zeal for their conversion, remembering that it is writ- 
ten: He who causeth a sinner to he converted from the 
error of his way shall save his soul from deaths 
' Let us do penance for our sins, and let us bless God 
for having shown us mercy. Let us repeat in a spirit 
of compunction and gratitude: I have sinned, and in- 
deed I have offended; and I have not received what I 
have deserved.^ I will praise thee, Lord my God, 
with my whole heart'; and I will glorify thy name for- 
ever; for thy mercy is great towards me, and thou hast 
delivered my soul out of the lower helV 

Yes, let us bless God, and remember that it is 

^Jas. V. 20. 2jo5 xxxiii. 27. 

3Ps. Ixxxv. 12, 13. 



352 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

through his infinite goodness that we ourselves have 
been saved from hell. 

PEAYEE 

my God^ who hast shown me the fatal effects of 
mortal sin, grant that I may never more commit it. 
Penetrate my heart and soul with horror for it. 
Grant that I may persevere in thy grace, and thus 
merit by thy mercy to be admitted into the kingdom 
of heaven where nothing defiled can enter. I ask thee 
this favor by the merits of the sufferings of Jesus and 
through the intercession of his most holy Mother. 

Resume, page 318. 

What fatal effects mortal sin produces ! 

1. It pollutes the soul and renders it abominable in 
the sight of God. 

2. It betrays it to the devil who thenceforth reigns 
in it in place of Jesus Christ. 

3. For it peace is no longer possible ! 

4. By it no more merits can be gained for heaven, 
at least until it forsakes the state of sin. 

5. For it r^nain hell and its horrors, if death sur- 
prises it in enmity with God. 

— Can we then . sufficiently, 

1. Fear and abhor mortal sin? 

2. Take precautions to avoid it ? 

3. Deplore the unhappy state of those who are guilty 
of it? 

4. Do penance for all the sins which we have com- 
mitted ? 

5. Implore the grace of persevering in justice? 



SIXTH MEDITATION 

THE LOSS OF GOD 

My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is 
said to me daily: where is thy God? — Psalms xli. 4. 

COXSIDEEATION 

Mortal sin makes us lose God: how, then, can we 
sufficiently deplore having committed it! sinners, 
how much reason have you to say with the Psalmist, 
My tears have been my bread day and 7iiglit, whilst it 
is said to me daily: where is thy God? What a loss is 
yours, how great is your misfortune ! God is goodness 
in its essence, source, and fullness, the wellspring of 
all pure pleasures, the ocean of all true joys. He is the 
bread that nourishes the soul, the fountain of living 
water that quenches its thirst, the light that illumines 
it, the raiment with which it is clothed, the voice 
that guides it. He is its support, its consolation, its 
guide, its protector, its king, its savior, its father and 
spouse. Created for him, the soul can find no repose 
but in him : he is its end, its happiness, its peace. He 
is its only good. To lose him, therefore, is to lose 
everything; it is to experience the greatest of misfor- 
tunes, the justest cause for tears. To lose God is to 
pass from the greatest affluence to the most absolute 
poverty. soul, now stained by mortal sin, thou wast 

353 



354 MEDITATIONS 0^ OUR LAST END 

rich in the gifts of grace^ and fit to appear with the 
angels before the throne of the Most High. Thou didst 
enjoy the sweetest happiness; thou didst want for noth- 
ing from the heavenh^ Father, so good^ so rich^ so 
generous. What has become of these inestimable ad- 
vantages ? In thee pure gold is changed into lead ; and 
no misery, no poverty can reveal the degree of misery 
and poverty to which thou hast sunk. 

We pity the orphan left destitute, the leper whose 
disease eats away his flesh, the man struck by blindness, 
deafness, or paralysis; but why do we not feel greater 
compassion for the soul that has lost God? Are not 
all these evils its own, since it has lost God its father, 
its light, its strength, and its life? 

To lose God is to fall from the highest of dignities to 
the lowest depths of disgrace. The soul that possesses 
God is adorned with his glory, and shines with his 
beauty. It is in the eyes of faith incomparably lovely ; 
being clothed with the heavenly mantle of charit)^ it 
has the insignia of true nobility. It is the beloved 
of the Sovereign King, it has been called to reign with 
him, and has already been placed on the highest step of 
the throne prepared for it. 

But when it has the misfortune to lose God, how 
suddenly its condition is changed ! It becomes hideous 
and frightful to look upon. The angelic beauty of its 
countenance has vanished, and given place to a re- 
semblance to the devil. It is vile and dishonorable. 
A disgraceful brand is on its forehead ; the mark of 
the beast has taken the place of the sign of the Lamb 
of God. Its vesture is a robe of ignominy. The angels 
turn away their eyes from such an object worthy of . 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 355 

the contempt of Satan himself^ the most contempti- 
ble of all God's creatures. 

Yesterday it climbed the steps of a throne; to-day 
it lies in the most abject misery. Such^, indeed, is its 
humiliation that it would be a frightful punishment to 
realize the degradation to which it has sunk. It dares 
not reflect on it ; it feels that it has lost all dignity, all 
right to the esteem of others. From a child of God it 
has become a slave of the devil. It has passed from 
the gentlest of sways to the most cruel oppression. It 
was free, and now it is bent beneath the most tyran- 
nical of yokes. 

Another Esau, it has sold its birthright for a miser- 
able gratification, and renounced its inheritance. Like 
the prodigal, it has left its Father's house, and, under 
its new master, is now obliged to feed swine whose 
very food it envies them. 

Is that all ? No ; for the soul that has lost God has 
exchanged the joys of heaven for the torments of hell. 
Before it fell into sin it had a right to infinite happi- 
ness. A place was reserved for it among the saints and 
the angels of God. Had it but persevered, it would 
eventually have attained to this. It would have been 
admitted to the land where happiness flows in tor- 
rents, where all gold and precious stones abound, where 
the choirs of the heavenly hosts sing in sublime har- 
mony the praises of the Lamb. 

. But by its sin it has deserved hell. It has prepared 
for itself a place in those dungeons fashioned by divine 
justice. It has stamped on its brow the mark of dam- 
nation. Let death but come, and its misery is now 
complete. God, from whom it turned away, will with- 



356 .MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

draw from it forever. He will say to it : ^'Depart from 
me, accursed one, into everlasting flre/^ While it is 
falling into hell it will understand what it is to have 
lost God. For all eternity the experience of this loss 
will be its greatest suffering, the source of its bitterest 
tears and most harrowing regrets. 

APPLICATION 



Yes, to lose God is the evil which we must fear and 
dread above all else, the evil in comparison with which 
all the accidents, calamities, and disasters that can be- 
fall us are as nothing. let us be upon our guard 
lest we lose God by mortal sin, and let us remember 
that we dispose ourselves to lose him by deliberate 
venial sin. On this account, let us avoid every sin. 
Let us avoid it at every cost, for nothing can compen- 
sate for the injury which it does us. Let us prevent 
it by correcting our imperfections and removing every 
dangerous occasion. 

Let us lament the fate of those souls that have lost 
God by sin; and should we be of that number, let us 
deplore our own misfortune. When so many tears are 
shed over the loss of creatures, what grief would be 
too great for the loss of the Creator? If the sight of 
poverty moves us to compassion, what should be our 
feelings at the sight of a misery infinitely more lament- 
able? 

Let us examine our conscience, to learn whether we 
are in the state of mortal sin, and have, consequently, 
lost God. If such be the case, let us lose no time in 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 357 

regaining his friendship. Let ns weep over the state 
to which we have been reduced by withdrawing our 
heart from him. Let us beg of him to communicate 
himself to us anew. Let us seek him by prayer and 
penance. Let us call on him by our tears and suppli- 
cations. Let us seek him in solitude^, in retreat from 
the worlds and amidst the silence of our passions. Let 
us seek him in his holy temple^, at the feet of his min- 
ister to whom he has given power to reconcile us to 
himself. 

Let us detach our hearts from sin by a sincere con- 
fession^ accompanied by true contrition, and the Lord 
will again be with us. His presence will bring us a 
profound peace, a foretaste of the happiness which we 
shall enjoy on the last day. Then we shall see him as 
he is; we shall possess him, and be sure of possessing 
him forever. 

PEAYEE 



I have sinned, and thou hast departed from me, 
my God, my only good. Thy presence was my only 
consolation; I was happy in possessing thee, and now 
I am in a state of extreme desolation. Fountain of 
living water ! who will grant that I may quench in thee 
the thirst that burns my soul ! Jesus, when shall I 
be able to say: 7 found Mm whom my soul loveth . . . 
and I will not let him go!' Grant that it be now, at 
this very moment, and that nothing henceforth may 
ever separate me from thee. 

^Cant. iii. 4. 



358 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Resume, page 318. 

What a misfortune it is to lose God! 

1. To lose God is to pass from the most complete 
affluence to the most frightful indigence. 

2. To lose God is to fall from the height of honor 
into the most degrading opprobrium. 

3. To lose God is to cease to be his child and to 
become a slave of the devil. 

4. To lose God is to exchange profound peace for 
grave disquietude, entire comfort for absolute deso- 
lation. 

5. To lose God is to renounce the joys of heaven for 
the horrors of hell. 

— We must^ then, 

1. Fear and dread that supreme misfortune above all 
else. 

2. Avoid sin, which is its cause. 

3. Pity those souls who have strayed from God. 

4. Examine if we are not of their number. 

5. In that case, hasten to return to him, that we 
may never more be separated from him. 



SEVENTH MEDITATION 
VENIAL SIN 

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. — 
1 John i. 8. 

CO^^SIDEEATION 

Let us consider what an evil venial sin is; how 
severely God condemns it^ how^ much it grieves the 
heart of Jesus^ and what its consequences are in this 
life and in the next. 

Venial sin of whatever kind is an offence against 
God, comprising to some extent a contempt of God, an 
insult to his perfections, and a preference of the crea- 
ture to the Creator. Therefore, no misfortune that can 
befall us is to be compared with it, for nothing finite 
can sufficiently atone for it. Xot even all angels and 
all men with all their merits could ever make adequate 
satisfaction. 

Supposing, therefore, that by one venial sin it were 
possible to prevent the greatest temporal evils, such as 
war, famine, and pestilence, all the doctors of the 
Church, and particularly St. Augustine, teach that it 
would not be justifiable to commit that sin. Suppose 
even that by incurring the guilt of one venial sin a 
multitude of souls might be saved, and all the souls in 

359 



360 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 

purgatory released^ even then not one single sin would 
be justified. Great as these blessings are^ they are 
still finite^ and refer only to the creature; whilst sin^ 
even though venial^, is an infinite evil because of the 
offence which it gives to God. 

Although we frequently look upon venial sin as a 
small matter^ God judges very differently. This we 
may learn from the chastisements with which he pun- 
ishes it. Lot^s wife^ in spite of the prohibition of the 
angels, looks back upon the burning of Sodom, and she 
is immediately changed into a pillar of salt. Moses, 
the greatest of the prophets, by striking the rock twice, 
shows distrust in the goodness of God toward the people 
of Israel, and he is condemned never to enter the 
promised land. The Bethsamites look with curiosity 
upon the Ark of the Covenant, and fifty thousand of 
them are struck dead. David, through vanity, takes a 
census of his people, and God sends a pestilence which 
in three days carries off seventy thousand persons. Oza^ 
forgetting that he had no right to do so, touches the 
Ark of the Covenant to prevent it from falling, and he 
is instantly struck dead. What, then, must venial sin 
be in the eyes of God, since he punishes it so terribly 
even in this world which he visits so generously with 
his mercy? 

He punishes it far more in the life to come, where 
he exercises all the rigors of his justice. Let us re- 
member that the souls in purg^atory are adorned with 
grace; that they are his beloved to whom he intends to 
communicate himself without reserve. Yet because he 
sees venial sin in them, he banishes them from his 
presence; he shuts them up in a dark prison, in an 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 361 

abyss of fire^ where they suffer tortures beyond our 
power to imagine. Could w^e hear their groans and 
lamentations^ could we understand their ardent desire 
to see God;, could we see the flames that surround and 
penetrate them^ what would we think of venial sin? 
Let us, then, entertain a true horror of it, for it is in 
truth horrible in the eyes of the thrice holy God, and 
therefore it provokes his justice. 

But besides the punishments that it merits, what sad 
effects does it not produce in the soul that deliberately 
consents to incur its guilt ! Without destroying in it 
all resemblance to God, it strips it of its beauty, and 
covers it, as it were, with ulcers. It lessens the divine 
love w^hich is the strength of the soul, and leaves it 
languid, sick, and without energy to do good. To a 
certain extent it always hinders the operation of grace; 
it clouds the understanding, rouses the passions, in- 
creases concupiscence, and inclines the will to evil. 

Without bringing down the full enmity of God, it 
causes a coolness toward him, and provokes him to with- 
draw his spiritual consolations. Before committing 
this fault, the soul lived in filial intimacy with God. 
After committing it it fears him more and loves him 
less; it finds prayer more painful and acts of charity 
more difficult. 

Venial sin weakens our love for Jesus Christ, which 
it also proves to have been already very weak. True 
love aims to please the object of its affections even in 
small things, and to avoid everything that could give 
offense. Now, when we commit venial sin, we are far 
from acting according to these principles. We virtually 
say to Jesus Christ : ^^I do not wish to inflict a mortal 



363 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

wound upon thy heart; but nevertheless I wish to do 
what will afflict thee very deeply/' Is that the language 
of love? Is not he^ who by his conduct gives expres- 
sion to such sentiments^ very near to having no "love 
at all for his divine Savior ? 

Let us finally consider how deliberate venial sin leads 
naturally and insensibly to mortal sin. It prepares 
the soul for it as sickness prepares the body for death. 
It diminishes the horror for mortal sin and soon re- 
moves it entirely. In general^ it is only gradually man 
falls into mortal sin; he goes from an imperfection to 
a faulty from that to a greater one^ and finally he con- 
sents to mortal sin. It is^ then^ towards this abyss 
that those are hurrying who commit deliberate venial 
sins. 

How many have fallen into grievous sin^ almost 
without perceiving it ! Sometimes^, so far as the con- 
science can judge^ there is little distance between 
venial sin and mortal sin. Who, then, can feel as- 
sured, when he commits deliberate venial sin, or prom- 
ises himself that he will not cross the dividing line, that 
he has not really consented to mortal sin? Who dare 
affirm that a certain fault, which he calls venial, is 
not mortal? How many cases are there not in which 
even the most learned theologians cannot draw the dis- 
tinction ? 

It is evident, then, that he who often falls deliber- 
ately into venial sin stands upon verj^ uncertain ground, 
and is guilty of grave imprudence in his conduct. Let 
us remember that the great majority of the damned 
can trace their ruin back to venial sins that gradually 
-led to such as were mortal, according to these words of 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 363 

our Divine Lord: He that is unjust in that which is 
little J is unjust also in that which is greater^ 

APPLICATION 

Let us fear venial sin^ whose consequences are truly 
lamentable. Let us fear it the more because it natural- 
ly inspires less horror^ and because the occasions of 
committing it are more frequent. David said: My 
iniquities . . . are multiplied above the hairs of 
my headf Can we not say this with greater reason? 
How many sins of ignorance^ inadvertence^ frailty and 
imprudence do we not commit every day ! To what^ 
according to God's justice^ does such a multitude of 
sins make us liable? 

Let us avoid venial sins with the greatest care^, and 
if we cannot keep ourselves entirely free from them, 
let us at least diminish their number. Let us shun the 
occasions of sin. We know how weak we are : let us 
then not expose ourselves to the danger of failing in 
our duties. Let us so w^atch over our conduct as to 
make it more closely conformed to the law which we 
ought to follow. Let us sincerely repent of all our 
sins^ whatever they may be. Let us repent of them 
from the bottom of our heart at all times, but especial- 
ly when we approach the Sacrament of Penance. 

The saints have bitterly lamented all their lives the 
commission of faults that were often very venial; let 
us imitate them. Like them^ let us do penance for our 
venial sins; for those which we know and for those of 
which we are ignorant, for the latter are more numer- 
^Luke xvi. 10. ^Ps. xxxix. 13.. 



364 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ous. With a view to atone for all our faults, let us 
accept, at least with resignation, the sufferings of this 
life. Let us never forget that it is better to suffer our 
purgatory in this world, where chiefly God^s mercy is 
known, than in the next, where he gives free rein to 
his justice. 

PEAYEE 

Lord Jesus, who earnest to destroy sin, grant that 
it may no longer abide in me. Give me a delicate and 
rigorous conscience that dreads even the shadow of evil 
and pardons nothing in itself. It will cost me, I know, 
many struggles, but can I purchase too dearly the 
double advantage of offending thee less and of saving 
my soul? 

Resume, page 319. 

Let us beware of thinking that venial sin is not a 
great evil. 

1. It offends God, it is an insult to God. 

2. How often has not God punished it in a terrible 
manner ! Eemember Lot's wife, Moses, Oza ! 

3. With what rigor does he not punish it in the other 
life! 

4. Moreover, what fatal effects does not venial sin 
produce even in this life ! 

5. Let us reflect that it leads naturally and almost 
insensibly to mortal sin. 

— Wherefore, following the example and the recom- 
mendations of the saints: 

1. Let us fear and dread even its appearance. 

2. Let us avoid it with the greatest care. 

3. Let us shun its occasions. 

4. Let us repent sincerely of those which we have 
committed. 

5. Let us be particularly attentive to this point, when 
we receive the sacrament of penance. 



EIGHTH MEDITATION 
SIN IN A CHRISTIAN 

If my enemy had reviled me, I \YOuld verily have borne 

with it: but thou, a man of one mind, my guide 

and my familiar. — Psalms liv. 13, 14. 

CONSIDEEATION 

In whoever commits it, sin is alvrays odious ; but it 
is far more hateful in a Christian than in an infidel. 
The latter, by sinning, becomes more fully the slave 
of Satan, obeying him under whose dominion he is 
already enlisted; the former is a child of God who 
revolts against his Father, a member of Jesus Christ 
who dishonors his august Head, a disciple of the Di- 
vine Master who denies him by his conduct. A tem- 
ple of the Holy Ghost profaned, defiled and thrown 
open to the service of the devil ; a child of the Church 
deeply afflicting his loving Mother; a soldier of God^s 
army treacherously going over to the ranks of the ene- 
ni}^ — such is the Christian who is guilty of sin. What 
conduct can be more unworthy of his calling? What 
more calculated to provoke the anger of God and call 
down his vengeance? 

A Christian is a child of God by grace and adop- 
tion. He was born a child of wrath, but God in pity 
showed him mercy, received him into his friendship, 

365 



366 MEDITATIO^^S OX OUR LAST END 

and restored to him his right to heaven. Yet^ after 
such favors^ the Christian dares sin, sin frequently, and 
sometimes very grievously. He consents to become an 
enemy of God, to sadden the heart of the most loving 
of fathers, and to make himself a child of Satan ! What 
terms can adequately express the baseness of such con- 
duct? 

Be not deceived, says St. Paul, God is not mocked^ 
Christians, who commit sin, do not persuade your- 
selves that you mock God, and that you have nothing 
to fear. Delay not to change your lives and to heed 
the advice of the apostle: Walk worthy of God in all 
things pleasing,^ Be strengthened in the Lord, and in 
the might of his power,^ 

A Christian is a member of Jesus Christ, living his 
life, and stamped with his likeness. As many of you 
as have been baptized in Christ, says St. Paul, have 
put on Christ!' For you are bought with a great price; 
glorify and bear God in your body^ But if he sins 
grievousty, he dishonors his Divine Head; he deserts 
his Master, throws down his glorious standard, and 
takes up the banner of Satan. 

The doctrine of Jesus Christ is essentially condem- 
natory of sin. It requires a perfection superior to that 
demanded by the old law. The Christian who commits 
sin contradicts this doctrine. How can he then call 
himself a disciple of Christ? Does he not deny him 
by his actions? Does he not oppose his influence? Does 
he not, as far as depends on man, annul his merits ? 

Eedeemed by the blood of a God, he again stretches 

^Gal. vi. 7. =Col. i. 10. «Eph. vi. 10. 

*Gal. iiL 27. ^1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 367 

forth his hands to receive the chains of slavery. De- 
clared an heir of heaven, he chooses to inherit hell. 
Called by his vocation to be a Christian, to work with 
Christ for the destruction of sin, he labors to rear the 
edifice of death and to pull down that of virtue, whose 
foundation stone is the cross. 

What grief does he not cause the heart of his loving 
Savior ! Divine Lamb, after all thou hast done to 
destroy sin, should it still exist, and exist in the soul 
of a Christian? Yet it is so; for, adorable Victim, 
thou canst show us thy bleeding wounds, and say: 
"With these was I wounded in the house of them that 
loved me.'' 

Every Christian is a temple of the Holy Ghost, 
adorned with grace, resplendent with divine light. But 
if he commits a grievous sin, he desecrates this temple. 
Profaned, defiled, it is a meeting place for demons. 
His heart becomes the throne of the unclean spirit; 
the abomination of desolation is in the holy place. That 
soul in which the Divine Spirit was w^U pleased, now 
excites his disgust and provokes his indignation. 

A Christian is a child of the Church, a member of 
the spouse of Jesus Christ. N'ow holiness is one of the 
distinctive marks of the Church; she is the enemy of 
sin which she combats unceasingly by every means in 
her power. The Christian who commits sin is an un- 
worthy child of the Church; he dishonors her and 
causes her to shed bitter tears. In place of seconding 
her designs, he opposes them; instead of co-operating 
in her works of sanctification, he resists them; in- 
stead of aiding her mission, he plots her ruin. He is 
worse than an unnatural child ; he is a parricixie. 



368 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

The* Christian who commits sin^ abuses grace^ and 
assumes a terrible responsibility to the justice of God. 
What help has he not received to keep him in the path 
of virtue ? The interior promptings of the Holy Ghost, 
the word of God, the care of God^s pastors, virtuous ex- 
ample^ confessions, communions, good reading, — noth- 
ing has been wanting to him; his conduct is therefore 
without excuse. 

It is also in direct opposition to his most sacred 
engagements. On the day of his baptism he promised, 
when receiving the robe of innocence, to keep it unspot- 
ted until he should present himself before the tribunal 
of Jesus Christ. He declared that he renounced Satan 
and all his works, and that he would live according to 
the maxims of the Gospel. According to the expres- 
sion of St. Paul, he was buried with Jesus Christ, to 
die to sin. He enrolled himself with the soldiers of 
the Lord to labor with their captain for the destruction 
of sin and the ruin of the empire of Satan. But by 
yielding to sin he became a traitor to his engagements. 
He deserted from the camp of Jesus Christ to enlist 
under the banner of Satan. What treason! What 
cowardice ! Moreover, what profanation ! For every 
Christian is a member of Jesus Christ, living his 
life, wearing his livery, and redeemed by his blood; 
and yet when he sins he wallows in the filth of iniquity. 
What can be more unworthy of his dignity! What 
can be more revolting in the eyes of heaven! 

APPLICATION 

Let us have a horror of sin, which is so entirely op- 
posed to the maxims of which we make profession; 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST EKD 369 

which is so odious in all Christians, so treasonable in 
souls which like ours have been favored with so many 
graces and have had so many means at their disposal 
for persevering in virtue. Let us avoid it even at the 
cost of the greatest sacrifices. How many Christians 
have preferred to lose their goods^, their honor, their 
health, their life, rather than offend God ! Let us 
imitate them, since we have the same motives. 

Let us recall our past sins, and bewail them. Let 
us in God^s presence lament the many outrages which 
we have offered him, and ask his pardon for our crim- 
inal conduct. Let us arm ourselves beforehand against 
all that could entice us into sin. Let us be on our 
guard against our passions, which always tend to draw 
us into sin. Let us take arms against ourselves, and 
bring the flesh in subjection to the spirit. 

Let us fear the devil and the world which are al- 
ways laying snares for us, and preparing many tempta- 
tions to lead us astray. Let us fight against them, 
armed with the power of Jesus Christ, by the sign of 
the cross, by prayer, watching and mortification. Let us 
propose always to act in a manner worthy of our dig- 
nity as children of God, members of Jesus Christ, and 
temples of the Holy Ghost. These are our titles of 
nobility, and they oblige us to lead a holy and edifying 
life. Let us be well convinced of this, and prove our 
conviction by our works. 

PKAYER 

Jesus, Divine Lamb, who takest away the sins of 
the world, pardon me, I beseech thee, all the sins of 



370 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

which I have been guilty, and by which I have pro- 
faned my title of Christian, provoked the anger of thy 
Father, abused his gifts, wounded thy heart, deserted 
thj^ cause, and accomplished the work of the devil. 

how unworthy of a Christian my conduct has been ! 
I acknowledge it in thy presence, and imploring thee 
to pardon me, I promise to change my life, to avoid care- 
fully sin and its occasions, and to satisfy thy justice for 
those faults which I have had the misfortune to com- 
mit. But, do thou, Lord, grant me grace to keep 
these resolutions. This I ask of thee in the name of all 
that thou hast suffered to destroy sin, and through the 
intercession of thy sinless Mother. 

Resume, page 319. 

How guilty is the Christian who commits sin ! 

1. A child of God, he revolts against his Father. 

2. A member and disciple of Jesus Christ, he dis- 
honors his august Head, and actually denies his divine 
Master. 

3. A temple of the Holy Ghost, he opens his heart to 
the devil. 

4. A child of the Church he makes his mother weep. 

5. A soldier of a holy army, he goes over like a 
traitor to the camp of the enemy, he violates his prom- 
ises, he tramples under foot the blood of Jesus Christ. 

— We must, then, as Christians : 

1. Have a horror of sin. 

2. Avoid it even at the cost of the greatest sacrifices. 

3. Eepent sincerely of all that we have committed. 

4. Guard against whatever might occasion relapse. 

5. Eesolve to act always conformably to our dignity 
as children of God, members of Jesus Christ, and 
temples of the Holy Ghost. 



NINTH MEDITATION 
SIN IN A RELIGIOUS 

How is the gold become dim? — Lament, iv. 1. 

CONSIDEEATION 

Since the religious state is essentially opposed to 
sin, whoever embraces it contracts thereby the obliga- 
tion to avoid evil^ to lead a life of perfection^ and to 
labor in union with Jesus Christ to overturn the em- 
pire of Satan. But what a contradiction would it be 
if a religious committed sin ! He would be opposed to 
the very essence of his profession ; he would disgrace his 
title and his habit; he would grievously afflict the 
Churchy and the congregation of which he is a member. 

What a responsibility he would incur before God! 
That servant, says Jesus Christy wJio Jcnew the will of 
his Lord . . . a7id did not according to his will, 
shall he beaten tvith many stripes,^ He teaches us then, 
as the author of the "Imitation'^ expresses it, that ^^the 
more and better thou knowest, the more heavy will be 
thy judgment unless thy life be also more holy.^^^ 

Xow who has more means of learning his duty and 
knowing exactly what God requires of him than the 
religious? Has he not his holy law always before his 
eyes? Does he not hear it read every day? Is he not 

^Luke xii. 47, 48. =Bk. I. Chap. ii. 2. 

371 



373 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

daily called to meditate upon it^ perhaps even to teach 
it? Has he not the rules of his holy state to guide 
him? Do not his superiors instruct him in the code 
of perfection? 

Yes^ he knows his duty very well^, and consequently 
he is more guilty if he neglects to do it. Moreover 
he has not only more light than others as to his duties^ 
but also more abundant means to fulfil them. For he 
is separated from the world and its seductions ; he leads 
a life of retirement and prayer; he goes to confession 
and communion frequently; he devotes a considerable 
portion of his time to spiritual exercises : vocal prayer, 
mental prayer, particular examen, spiritual reading, 
general examen, the weekly reddition of conduct, the 
annual retreat; indeed, he wants nothing to keep him 
in the path of virtue. How criminal he would then be 
if in spite of all these means of sanctification he did 
not become holy, but even allowed himself to fall into 
sin! 

The religious who commits sin seriously dishonors 
the obligations which he has contracted ; for, like every 
Christian, he promised on the da)^ of his baptism to 
avoid evil and to live according to the maxims and 
the example of Jesus Christ. These obligations he has 
also renewed and to them he has added another, that of 
walking in the path of the evangelical counsels, of lead- 
ing a pure life, and of tending constantly to perfec- 
tion. Therefore he breaks the promise which he has 
made to God, to the Church, and to his Institute ! He 
is a perjurer. 

He is also guilty of sacrilege, because every sin is 
a profanation of the soul, and the soul of a religious 



I 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 373 

is doubly consecrated to God! But how great is his 
guilt if he sins against the vows which he has made ! 

Let us not deceive ourselves ; the holier our state, the 
more guilty we are if we do not live holily. Therefore 
St. Bernard tells religious to judge of their faults by 
the nature of the vocation which they have embraced, 
adding, that what is a small fault in a secular may be 
grievous in one who is consecrated to God. 

The religious holds a place of distinction in the 
house of the King of kings, for he is the favorite child 
of God. J^Tow at all times and in all places the offence 
of a child against his father is considered more griev- 
ous than that committed by a stranger; an insult from 
one with whom we are on terms of intimacy is more 
sensibly felt than from one to whom we are less at- 
tached. Let us judge by this standard how the sin of 
a religious wounds the heart of that Divine Master 
whom he has promised to serve faithfully. 

Moreover, this sin almost always involves scandal. 
You are the light of the vjorld, says Jesus Christ to 
his apostles. A city that is set on a mountain cannot 
be hid. Let your light so shine before men that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your Father who 
is in heaven.^ These words are particularly applica- 
ble to every religious. He is placed in a conspicuous 
position in the Church of Jesus Christ. He is observed 
of all, and his conduct is closely scrutinized. If he lives 
virtuously he gives edification and leads souls to God; 
but if he is careless of his duties, his sin affects many 
other souls. The good are afflicted at it; many are 

^Matt. V. 14-16. 

377 



374 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

shaken in their purpose and find themselves drawn to* 
the path in which he follows. The wicked look upon 
his conduct as a sanction to continue in their state 
and inveigle the souls of others. 

What can be imagined more injurious to virtue ! Is 
any disorder greater? The salt of the earth spreads 
corruption; light becomes darkness; he who should 
guide souls in the way of salvation leads them to perdi- 
tion; God's messenge:r discharges the office of the 
devil ! 

Yes^ it is horrible^, and yet this is what a religious 
does when he consents to sin^ and when^ as happens 
frequently, his crime becomes known if not to the 
world, at least to his community. But whether it is 
made public or not, his sin is stamped with baser in- 
gratitude than that of persons in the world. 

God has been prodigal of his gifts to him. He has 
chosen him from among a multitude whom he has left 
in the world. He has anticipated his wants by the 
most powerful graces and he has communicated him- 
self to him without reserve. He has shared with him 
the abundance of his house, and has made him the re- 
cipient of countless benefits. Can it, then, be possible 
that one of these souls would turn against him, and 
insult him by sin? Would not his offence be like that 
of the angels who rebelled in heaven itself? Of such 
a soul he might justly complain: I have brought up 
children, and exalted them; but they have despised me/' 
or in the words of the Psalmist, If my enemy had re^ 
viled me, I would verily have borne ivith it: but thou, 
a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar.^ 
^Isai. i. 2. 2Ps. liv. 13, 14. 



I 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 375 

religious who may be tempted to commit sin, give 
ear to the words of St. Bernard : "Remember the rank 
which God has given you in his house and the honor 
w^hich he has done you/^ Eemember that you are the 
privileged friends of Jesus Christy, the disciples whom 
he has called nearest to his cross, and to whom he 
opens all the treasures of his heart. Eemember that he 
invites you often to his sacred banquet, w^here he 
feeds you with his own flesh and blood. Can you for a 
miserable pleasure consent to offend him? After being 
admitted to his table, would you dare turn your back 
upon him? After witnessing his sacrifice on the cross, 
would you join his enemies and aggravate his suf- 
ferings? 

APPLICATION 



As Christians, and still more as religious, let us 
strive to show the most marked opposition to sin. Let 
us destroy it in ourselves, and, as far as we can, destroy 
it also in our neighbor. Let us never commit it; let 
us avoid even the smallest faults. Let us be on our 
guard against everything that could lead us into sin. 

Let us exercise vigilance and foresight^, to keep from 
sin the children confided to our care. Let us often 
ask this grace of our Lord. What a service we shall 
render our pupils if we preserve them from every 
stain of sin ! 

At the thought of our own sins, let us excite our 
hearts, to true contrition. Let us weep over our mis- 
fortune in offending God, who has so loved and blessed 



376 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

US. But let US go with confidence to him^ for his 
mercy is infinite, and he is the more disposed to pardon 
us the dearer we are in his sight. 

PEAYER 

Jesus^ who pointest to the wound in thy hearty I 
tremble to think that it is I who have made it by my 
sins. Yet I dare to feel confidence when I remember 
that from this wound came forth the last drops of 
that redeeming blood through which all sinners may 
ask and obtain mercy. Deign to purify me by the blood 
and water that streamed from thy hearty, and to pre- 
serve me in thy grace till thou shalt call me to meet 
thee in the next life. 

Resume, page 320. 

What a disorder it is for a religious to commit sin! 
Compared with the same fault in a secular^ that of 
the religious shows: 

1. More forget fulness of duty. 

2. More abuse of grace. 

3. More breach of promise. 

4. More scandal^ more sacrilege, for he is doubly 
consecrated to God. 

5. More ingratitude, for he has received special 
blessings from God. 

— As religious, let us be absolutely opposed to sin. 

1. Let us have a supreme horror of it. 

2. Let us never commit it. 

3. Let us avoid even the slightest faults. 

4. Let us weep over our past sins, and do penance 
for them. 

5. Let us never cease to labor with eTcsus Christ to 
destrov sin. 



TENTH MEDITATION 
RELAPSE INTO SIN 

Add not sin upon sin. — Eccles. v. 5. 

CONSIDEKATION 

How many times do we not relapse into the same 
faults^ and thus add sin to sin ! Let us lament it^ say- 
ing, with the author of the "Imitation/^ "0 how great 
is human frailty, which is always prone to vice ! To-day 
thou confessest thy sins, and to-morrow thou again 
committest what thou hast confessed. Now thou re- 
solvest to take care, and an hour after thou dost as if 
thou haclst never resolved. We have reason, therefore, 
to humble ourselves and never to think much of our- 
selves since we are so frail and inconstant.^^^ 

Let us humble ourselves, since our weakness is so 
great. Alas ! we s'eem to rise only to fall again ! How 
little we understand the grievousness of our sins of 
relapse, the anguish which they cause the heart of 
Jesus, the loss which they occasion us, and the evils 
which they prepare for us in soul and body! 

Sins of relapse deeply grieve our divine Savior, and 
call forth such tears as he shed over faithless Jerusa- 
lem that knew not the time of her visitation. Why indeed 
did our Lord come upon earth, if not to destroy the 

^Bk. I. Chap. xxii. 6. 

377 



378 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

empire of sin^ to make grace abound where iniquity 
had abounded^ to check men on their way to perdition 
and to set them on the road to salvation and happiness ? 
Nothings then^ is more pleasing to him than to see the 
end of his divine mission accomplished. What joy 
does he not experience when by his grace a sinner is 
converted! He himself tells us that there is then great 
joy in heaven. 

But on the other hand what sorrow does he not feel 
when that soul falls back into sin; when the captive 
that he had freed by his courage and devotednesS;, aban- 
dons him to return to his chains; when the lost sheep, 
that had been found and brought to the fold, strays a 
second time; when the prodigal son that had been re- 
ceived with open arms and heartfelt joy, again quits 
his Father^s house, and causes by his departure a sor- 
row greater than was the joy of his return. 

By relapsing into sin we deeply wound the heart of 
Jesus Christ \^ we even become his executioners. The 
wicked, he says by the mouth of the prophet, have 
lengthened their iniquity, "^ We strike him where we had 
already struck him; we reopen the wounds which we 
had already inflicted. What an insult ! What cruelty ! 

The relapse by which we thus wound the heart of 
Jesus is often a sign that we did not sincerely repent 
of our offense. It gives strong reason to doubt the 
genuineness of our contrition. How, indeed, is it 
credible that we said from the bottom of our hearts : 
^^I have sinned, my Savior, but I repent. Pardon 
me in thy mercy'^; if, on the first occasion we commit 
the same fault, and commit it so easily? Whoever is 
^Ps. cxxviii. 3. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 379 

really displeased with an action does not readily repeat 
it. The true mark of repentance is to abstain from the 
evil which we deplore. 

Eelapse into sin is a sign that we lack strength 
against ourselves^ that we are under the sway of oui 
passions^ that we suffer our heart to be ruled by the 
spirit of evil. It shows not only that we are not ad- 
vancing towards perfection^ but even that we are going 
back in the spiritual life. Let us reflect on this, since 
as religious we ought to tend to perfection, and form 
ourselves more and more to the likeness of Jesus Christ, 
who is holiness itself. 

Sins of relapse aggravate our guilt both because of 
their number and of their increasing grievousness. How 
many times have we not committed such an offence 
against God? — ten times? perhaps even a hundred 
times ? How criminal, then, we become by thus repeat- 
ing the fault ! Moreover, it is certain that, other things 
being equal, a second sin of a given kind is more griev- 
ous than the first, a third more grievous than the sec- 
ond, and so on. WTiat, then, must be our guilt, since 
we have committed the same sin so many times ? Alas ! 
why do we thus heap coals upon our heads to feed the 
fires of divine justice? 

Sins of relapse beget a habit of sin, and lead to 
blindness of heart. The first sin excites remorse, in- 
spires hatred, covers us with confusion, disturbs the 
soul, which, in that state of suffering easily gives en- 
trance to grace. But if the soul resists grace, if it 
commits the same sin again, it feels less remorse and 
offers more opposition to grace. The third sin aggra- 
vates these conditions and soon, alas! the soul feels 



380 . MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

neither remorse nor shame; it has contracted the habit 
of the sin. 

Here, then, is the woe of woes! The habit of sin is 
the state in which the soul feels a need of offending 
God, of dragging him in the dust, of drinking the poison 
of iniquity; a need of satisfying an insatiable passion, 
of obeying Satan, afflicting God^s angels, and piercing 
the heart of Jesus! Habit is a second nature. Hence 
the habit of sin is a state in which man sins, as it 
were, naturally, by instinct. The habit of sin is a 
terrible bondage, one from which it requires great 
efforts to free oneself. It is an impetuous torrent in- 
creasing in power as it advances to the sea, and becom- 
ing every moment more difficult to control. 

The habit of sin implies the dominion of the pas- 
sions and of the devil over the soul; it means subjec- 
tion to the most cruel and the most odious form of 
tyranny. The unclean spirit, driven out by the strong- 
armed man, has returned to the house with seven other 
spirits more wicked than himself, and made the last 
condition of that soul worse than the first ; for he sub- 
jects it to himself, he leads it hither and thither at his 
pleasure, and finally drags it into the abyss of in- 
iquity. How many persons have sacrificed to a habit of 
sin repose, honor, health, and life itself ! 

What an evil then, nly God, is this habit of re- 
peatedly offending thee ! I^othing is more debasing, 
nothing more lamentable! Sins of relapse make the 
soul more and more insensible to the influence of thy 
grace and the pleadings of thy mercy. They lead step 
by step to hardness of heart, and then, unless prevented 
by a miracle of thy goodness, to final impenitence. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 381 

APPLICATION 

Let us dread relapse into sin and adopt the means 
to prevent it if we have our salvation at heart. Let 
us avoid dangerous occasions; we know them by ex- 
perience, let us keep ourselves far from them. Let us 
do penance for all our sins, and above all for those 
which we commit most frequently. Let us take arms 
against ourselves^, proportioning our rigor to the num- 
ber of our transgressions^ and increasing it as they in- 
crease. 

Let us profit by our faults to learn not only our 
frailty, but also our tendencies^ the nature of our 
temptations and of our ruling passion. At the thought 
of our sins of relapse let us profoundly humble our- 
selves^ for, alas! they afford certain proof that we are 
only weakness, malice, and inconstancy; but let us take 
care not to be discouraged. Let us remember that 
Jesus Christ fell three times on the road to Calvary. 
With him, and by his aid, let us arise and walk in his 
footsteps. 

Let us listen to him as he says to us : ^^My son, lose 
not the hope of advancing in virtue. Thou hast yet 
time; behold, now is the acceptable time.^' Let us 
comply with those w^ords which the author of the "Imi- 
tation'' puts into his mouth: "Behold the favorable 
moment to amend thy ways." Let us take advantage 
of it, and from this instant renounce every sin and give 
ourselves resolutely to God forever. 



382 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PEAYEE 

I have sinned so much, would I dare sin again ? Can 
I possibly wish to offend thee again, my Jesus? Could 
I fall again into those faults, the memory of which 
grieves my heart and covers me with shame? Ko, my 
divine Savior; no, I will never more displease thee. I 
am thine, wholly thine. Eeceive me in thy mercy, 
among thy servants, and grant by thy grace that I may 
persevere till death in thy holy love. 

Resume, page 320. 

How often unhappily do we not relapse into the 
same faults ! 

— that we could understand the real malice of sins 
of relapse ! 

1. They desolate the heart of Jesus. 

2. They give reason to doubt the sincerity of our 
contrition. 

3. They aggravate our guilt by their number. More- 
over, the second sin is more grievous than the first, the 
third than the second. 

4. They make us contract a habit of sin, which after- 
wards exercises a frightful tyranny upon the soul. 

5. They w^eaken remorse and lead to hardness of 
heart. 

— It is necessary, then : 

1. To fear them, to avoid them. 

2. To shun their occasions. 

3. To punish ourselves for those which we are so 
unfortunate as to commit. 

4. To attack energetically and resist constantly the 
ruling passion from which they emanate. 

5. Not to be discouraged. However great our re- 
lapses may be, we can, by grace, always correct our- 
selves. 



ELEVENTH MEDITATION 

THE PRODIGAL SON 

A certain man had two sons ; and the younger of them said 
to his father : Father, give me the portion of 
substance that falleth to me. — Lulie xv. 11, 12, 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us meditate on this parable which is so full of 
salutary lessons and so well fitted to make us under- 
stand the evil of sin, and God^s love, goodness and 
mercy to man. 

The two sons of whom Jesus Christ speaks, represent 
the just and sinners: the just who are united with 
God, who love him, and enjoy his company and receive 
his blessings; and sinners who, from a spirit of inde- 
pendence and a love of pleasure, depart from him, 
follow their evil inclinations, abuse their faculties, and 
degrade themselves below the level of beasts. 

It is the younger son who asks for his inheritance ; a 
circumstance which teaches us that the will of the 
sinner is extravagant and foolish. For what is lacking 
in his Father^s house, where he may dwell as long as 
he preserves his innocence? Does he not find with thee, 
0. God, peace, plenty, and joy ? Whence, then, can the 
thought of leaving thee spring, but from the most in- 
sensate and deplorable folly? 

But the sinner does not understand this, for he is 
blinded by his passions. He wishes to satisfy them, and 

383 



384 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

to be freed from God's authority. He wishes to usej 
as they shall dictate^ his understandings his heart, his 
senses, and the creatures that minister to his wants. 

Give me the portion of substance that falleth to me, 
said the prodigal son to his father; and he divided 
unto them his substance, God gives men free will; 
they can either use or abuse what they have received 
from him, but they assume the responsibility; for they 
must submit frequently in this life, and always in the 
next, to the consequences of their choice. 

Not many days after, the younger son went abroad 
into a far country. That is exactly what the sinner 
does; he travels very quickly along the road to evil. 
He passes from the friendship to the enmity of God, 
from the state of innocence to that of guilt, from the 
empire of Jesus Christ to that of the devil. 

He went abroad; the sinner by the very act of sin- 
ning departs from God. how deeply he afflicts his 
loving Father, who says to him by his grace : ^^Kemain 
with me, do not cross the threshold of my house, where 
I have reared thee. Eemain, my son ! Thy departure 
would be an insult to me, and would draw numberless 
evils upon thy own head.'' And when the sinner has 
departed, the Lord follows with eyes of pity, pleading 
unceasingly: ^^Eeturn, my son, return to thy Father 
who wishes to pardon thee and restore thee to his love.'^ 

But deaf to his voice, the prodigal journeys on. He 
goes into a far country, into a land of darkness where 
the people sit in the shadow of death, and there he 
squanders all his substance by living in debauchery. 
The slave of his passions, he sacrifices to them all he has 
without any thought of tlie dire consequences of his 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END oOO 

criminal conduct.* He has no eyes but for the present 
moment and the enjoj^ment which it brings. He sacri- 
fices to vice his peace of mind, his honor, his strength, 
his riches, even health and life. 

Soon all is squandered; and there came a mighty 
famine in that country^ and he began to he in want. 
The nourishment of the soul is found in truth and love. 
What, then, must be its suffering when it has no other 
food than error and vice? It soon perishes of hunger, 
for it seeks in vain for satisfaction from the pleasures 
of the senses. Created to be the companion of angels, 
it craves the invisible food of these heavenly spirits; 
and so long as it is deprived of this, it experiences the 
bitter pangs of growing hunger. 

And he went and joined himself to one of the citi- 
zens of that country. And he sent him into his farm, 
to feed siuine. to what a master does the sinner 
hire himself — the devil ! that cruel master who is not 
only inaccessible to pity, but who even gloats over our 
sufferings, and forces all who belong to him to share in 
his. own degradation! He sends them to his farm to 
feed swine. sinner, to what a state of debasement 
hast thou sunk in becoming the slave of the devil ! 
What has become of the nobility of thy dignity? Son 
of a King, thou art made the keeper of swine ! Thou 
art even sunk lower, for the prodigal who represents 
thee craved the food that the swine ate. He longed for 
it, but even that poor boon was denied him. What a 
frightful state of misery and degradation ! Eeflect well 
upon it, and make haste to free thyself from such ig- 
nominious slavery. 

The unhappy young man ^^returns to himself.'^ He 



386 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

reflects on his condition. He thinks of his father and 
of the happiness which he enjoyed with hini;, and says: 
How many hired servants m my father s house have 
plenty of hread, and I here perish with hunger! Wliat 
an advantage it is to the sinner to have at any time 
experienced the happiness of God^s friendship^ and 
never to have met in the path of evil anything but sor- 
row upon sorrow ! These are precious graces by which 
God calls upon him to return. Happy will he be if he 
corresponds to them^ if he says from the bottom of his 
heart : I will arise and go to my father, and will say 
to him. Father, I have sinned against heaven and he- 
fore thee: I am not now worthy to be called thy son; 
make me as one of thy hired servants. 

Such is the resolution of the prodigal. He acknowl- 
edges his faulty he confesses it with sentiments of the 
most profound humility; he truly repents and at the 
same time hopes for pardon. He knows the goodness 
of him from whom he is going to ask forgiveness ; he 
entertains not the slightest doubt of being restored to 
his friendship. A^id rising up, he went to his father. 

He is not deceived. And when he was yet a great 
way off, his father saw him, and was moved with com- 
passion, and running to him, fell upon his nech and 
kissed him. Clasping him to his hearty, the kind father 
makes no reproaches^ and when the prodigal says : I 
have sinned against heaven and before thee, he does 
not even allow him to finish^ but calling the servants, 
says to them: Bring forth quickly the first robe and 
put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes 
on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill 
it, and let us eat and make merry: bemuse this my soft 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 387 

was dead, and is come to life again; he ivas lost and 
is found. 

my God^ how great is thy goodness! How, then, 
can we doubt thy mercy, however numerous and great 
our offences may have been? Thy heart is always dis^ 
posed to pardon us, and when we return to thee and 
ask for grace, thou restorest us to thy friendship. 

APPLICATIOX 

While meditating on the parable of the prodigal son/ 
let us renew our fidelity to God. Let us protest that 
we wish to abide with him forever, remain in his house 
and persevere in his service. Let us stay with our 
good Father, and reject with horror every thought of 
departing from him. Let us remember that nothing 
is so unreasonable, nothing brings so many sufferings 
and misfortunes in its train, as withdrawing from the 
service of God. Separated from him, the soul may 
stupefy itself, but it cannot attain satisfaction. The 
sum of its experience will always be disappointment, 
weariness and desolation. 

Let us grow in hatred of sin, which makes us so mis- 
erable and degrades us so wretchedly. Let us repent 
of the sins which we have committed. Let us confess 
them with all humility, and resolving never more to 
commit them, fervently implore God^s forgiveness. 

Let us go with confidence to God, who is always dis- 
posed to show us mercy. Let us return to our good 
Father and never more forsake him. 

PEAYEE 

God of goodness, my only Good, I have departed 



388 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

from thee by sin; and since then I have had no other 
inheritance than suffering and humiliation. Thou hast 
permitted this suffering that I might not continue in 
such a state^ but be moved to return to thee. I now 
return with feelings of regret and confidence like those 
of the prodigal son. I, too, will say: Father, J have 
sinned against heaven and hefore thee: I am not now 
worthy to he called thy son. Yes, I have sinned, but I 
sincerely repent, and I ask thy forgiveness. Deign to 
receive me once more into thy house, and to give me 
the kiss of peace. I promise never more to quit thee, 
to serve thee for the time to come with inviolable 
fidelity, and to repair by true penance all the errors of 
my past life. 

Resume, page 321. 

Let us reflect on the meaning of this parable. 

1. The prodigal is young, and acts foolishly: it is 
folly to commit sin. 

2. He goes away from his father: — sin removes us 
from God. 

3. He finds in his wanderings only poverty, degra- 
dation, slavery : — far from God there is nought but im- 
happiness. 

4. Confused and repentant, he returns with confi- 
dence to his father: — thus the sinner returns to God 
when he corresponds with grace. 

5. His father receives him with the greatest kind- 
ness:' — so God receives the sinner who is converted. 

— In meditating on these thoughts: 

1. Let us renew our fidelity to God. 

2. Let us never think of leavii^g our good Father. 

3. Let us be convinced that sin is supreme folly. 

4. Let us repent of the sins we have committed. 

5. Let us ask pardon of God, who is always disposed 
to show us mercy. 



TWELFTH MEDITATION 
THE MERCY OF GOD 

His tender mercies are over all his works. — Ps. cxliv. 9. 
CONSIDERATION 

God loves all his creatures, but he has a special love 
for man whom he has created to his own image. He 
loves him in spite of his miseries, and even because of 
his miseries, which he tenderly compassionates. Our 
miseries are indeed great, greater even than we can 
understand. Our life is a series of toils and trials, a 
struggle against death which, however, inevitably tri- 
umphs in the end. In the physical order, and still more 
in the moral order, a host of evils assails us. The earth 
upon which we live is an abode of sorrow, where, alas ! 
we everywhere meet with sin, the greatest of miseries, 
and either immediately or remotely the source of all 
others. Hence we have reason to mourn over our con- 
dition. Still we should never be discouraged. What- 
ever our miseries may be, the mercy of God is infinitely 
greater than they. God desires nothing more than to 
exercise it ; for it is this perfection of which he gives 
most evidence in this world. How many facts might 
be cited to prove this ! 

On the day of the first sin, God manifested his jus- 
tice: he cursed the serpent, he subjected Adam and 

389 



390 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Eve to painful labor and to death, and banished them 
from the earthly paradise. And 3^et he manifested his 
mercy more strikingly than his justice. Through com- 
passion for our first parents he went down to them 
and questioned them, to give them an opportunity of 
confessing their sin and asking for mercy. Even be- 
fore condemning them he announced the coming of a 
Eedeemer. And to the serpent he said: / will put en- 
mities between thee and the woman . . . she shall 
crush thy head^ 

divine mercy, thou appearest with the first of 
human miseries ! Like a mother's hand, thou comest 
to dry the first tear of man when sorrow came upon 
him, and thou dost most superabundantly atone for his 
fault, which has in consequence been called "^ neces- 
sary sin, a happy fault.^'^ 

The mercy of God has been at work in the course of 
the ages. It was shown to Cain when he became a frat- 
ricide, for the Lord spoke to him in order to move him 
to repent and to ask forgiveness. Even when he was 
about to curse him, he longed to forgive him. 

The history of the Jewish people seems but a record 
of God's mercy. With what patience he supported their 
murmurs, so insulting to his providence ! He even 
seemed to make them the motive of the miracles which 
he wrought. After one murmuring comes the passage 
of the Eed sea, after another appear the manna and 
water from the rock. Sometimes he revealed himself as 
a Lord terrible to the people who so often abandoned 
his service, but his mercy always prevailed over his jus- 
tice. For one moment Moses seemed to doubt of it, 
^Gen. iii. 15. ""OmQe of Holy Saturday. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EISTD 391 

not daring to believe that God would renew the miracle 
of Mount Horeb; and he therefore struck the rock 
twice. Immediatel}^ God reproved him for his fault 
and condemned him to die without entering the prom- 
ised land. His heart was grieved that the mildest of 
men should put limits to his mercy. He manifested 
his goodness to Achab^, and showed mercy to Manasses. 
He even revoked the decree he had passed against 
Nineveh^ thereby giving striking proof of his great 
desire to grant pardon. 

But if the mercy of God was exercised to such an 
extent under the old law^ the law of fear^ how can we 
express the extent to which it has been carried in the 
new law^ the law of grace? Let us call to mind the 
mystery of the Incarnation. What is this but the com- 
ing of divine mercy to dwell personally among men? 
The Blessed Virgin^ whom the angel salutes on the 
part of the Most High^ is to be called the Mother of 
Mercy^ and from that moment she fulfilled all her 
duties as such. She conceived in her womb the Son 
of God. But why did the Word become incarnate ? He 
himself tells us that it was for sinners^ for the affiicted^ 
for the wretched^ for those whose hearts were weighed 
down by sorrow and crushed by oppression. In taking 
upon himself our miseries he was actuated by the 
tenderest compassion. 

Let us follow the course of his life. What wonderful 
goodness he shows^, what unbounded meekness towards 
even the greatest of sinners ! Magdalen casts herself 
at his feet;, and she rises pardoned and filled with grace. 
He enters the house of Zacheus the publican^ and im- 
mediately Zacheus becomes his disciple and is admitted 



392 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

among the children of Abraham. They bring to him 
a guilty woman, and not only does he not condemn 
her, but he delivers her from those that sought her 
death. Peter thrice denies him, and his suffering Mas- 
ter casts upon him a look of love which calls forth 
tears of repentance from the apostle and makes him 
the first of penitents. A thief about to die with him 
on the cross, prays: Remember me, and he answers, 
This day thou shalt be with me in paradise,^ 

What circumstance of his life is there that is not 
marked by his goodness, his kindness and compassion to 
the unfortunate ! As with his deeds, so with his words. 
Let us recall those in which he depicts the goodness of 
God under the image of the good shepherd, or the 
father of the prodigal son. 

Finally, let us behold him nailed to the cross, the 
altar of his sacrifice. There it is that his mercy is most 
apparent. There it is that these words received their 
entire fulfillment : God so loved the world as to give his 
only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him 
may not perish, but may have life everlasting.^ It was 
on the tree of the cross, when burdened with the sins 
of the whole world, that he satisfied the divine justice. 
He there paid our debt, suffering what we should have 
suffered, and repeating these words : Father, forgive 
them! He offered himself up as a victim that divine 
mercy might be extended to us; and that it might be 
continued to the end of the ages, he founded his 
Church and instituted his Sacraments. 

The great aim of his Vicar on earth is to bless and 
console. The ministry of his priests is essentially a 
^Luke xxiii. 43. 'John iii. 16, 17. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 393 

ministry of forgiveness. He has given them power to 
forgive sins^ and to that power he has put no limits. 
What a consoling institution is not the sacrament of 
penance, whereby the sinner is forgiven on condition 
that he confess his sins and sincerely repent of them! 
it is with reason that it is called the tribunal of 
mercy ! 

The same divine attribute is manifest in everything 
connected with religion. Prayers, ceremonies, festivals, 
everything proclaims that the earth is full of the 
mercies of the Lord, that he wishes to show us kindness, 
that he seeks the sinner, that he goes forth to meet 
him, knocks at his heart, and urges him to accept 
pardon. Everything bears witness to the fact that his 
compassion for us is unbounded, and that we cannot 
cause him greater joy than by giving him an oppor- 
tunity of exhibiting his mercy in our regard. 

APPLICATION 

While meditating on the mercy of God, let us renew 
our love for him. Let us with all our heart love our 
Father who is so full of goodness, and who, even when 
we offend him, still loves us, and presses us by his grace 
to return to him. Let us hearken to his voice; let us 
yield to his entreaties. Let us go to him with confi- 
dence, for he wishes to pardon us. Let us go to him 
in a spirit of true repentance, and he will assuredly 
forgive us. 

how happy we shall be if we return to his friend- 
ship ! What a gentle peace w^e shall experience when 
our conscience will tell us that we stand well with 
J 



394 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

God^ that he is again pleased to look upon us as his 
beloved children ! 

Let us reflect that, being made to the image of God, 
we should imitate our Savior, and after his example 
forgive every offence done to us. Eemember that Jesus 
Christ has said: Be ye therefore merciful, as your 
Father also is merciful f and Blessed are the merciful, 
for they shall obtain mercy, ^ 

PEAYER 

my God and my Father! I have not until now 
known the sentiments of thy heart. I dreaded the se- 
verity of thy justice; but I did not understand the 
greatness of thy mercies, which far exceed my crimes. 
Therefore it is that, wretch, though I am, I now confide 
in thy goodness, and come with eagerness to throw my- 
self into thy arms, beseeching thee to forgive all my 
sins, and to give me the grace to serve thee henceforth 
with perfect and persevering fidelity. 

Resume, page 321. 

Let us remember: 

1. The promise of a Messiah made to Adam after his 
fall. 

2. The patience of God with his people. 

3. His clemency toward repentant sinners. 

4. The sacrifice of the cross, where he becomes a 
victim to disarm the Father^s justice. 

5. The institution of the sacrament of penance, the 
erection of the tribunal of mercy. 

Let us reflect, then, that if our miseries are great, 
the mercy of God infinitely surpasses them. 
^Lulie vi. 36, =Matt. v. 7. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 395 

— Wherefore : 

1. Let us love our bountiful father. 

2. Let us love him with our whole heart. 

3. Let us have recourse to him with the most entire 
confidence. 

4. Let us repent, and he will forgive us. 

5. Let us forgive, after his example, and forgive all. 
Let us extend toward our fellow religious the mercy 

which he extends toward us. 



THIRTEENTH MEDITATION 
JESUS CHRIST DESTROYING SIN 

Behold the Lamb of God ; behold him who taketh away the 
sins of the world. — John i. 29. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us adore Jesus Christ coming into this world 
to take away its sins^ and let us meditate on his senti- 
ments and his conduct in reference to sin^ the source of 
all other evils in time and eternity. Jesus Christ hates 
sin. Loving his Father with an infinite love, and seek- 
ing the perfect accomplishment of his holy will^ he 
could not but have an infinite hatred for sin, which is 
an injury to God, and a revolt against his supreme 
authority. Jesus Christ is holiness^, innocence, and 
justice; how then could he fail to cherish infinite 
hatred for sin of every kind^ under whatever form and 
in whatever place it presents itself? Such, indeed, are 
the sentiments of his divine heart, according to the 
words of the royal prophet: Thou hast loved justice, 
and hated iniquity!' 

Sin is so great an abomination in his sight that by 
a singular privilege he willed to preserve his most holy 
Mother entirely from its stain, and therefore he de- 
creed her immaculate conception. He wished to avoid 
even the least appearance of sin, and could therefore say 

iPs. xliv. 8. 
396 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 397 

to his enemies: Which of you shall convince me of sinf 
Moreover^ he never ceased to denounce and oppose it. 
He had already condemned it by his prophets, and 
by all those who were types of him in the old law. By 
the mouth of King David he had said: Depart from 
me, all ye workers of iniquity,^ The wickedness of sin- 
ners shall be brought to nought.^ The wicked shall be 
turned into hell/ but they that wait upon the Lord, 
they shall inherit the land^ Elsewhere he put these 
words on the lips of the Wise Man: All iniquity of na- 
tions is execrable.^ The teeth of sin are the teeth of a 
lion, killing the souls of men^ 

Finally, directly and in person, he condemned sin 
while he was on earth. Let us recall his anathemas 
against the hypocritical Pharisees; against those who 
refused to forgive injuries; against sensual men as 
represented by Dives; against those who rejected grace, 
who abused his gifts, and to whom- he addressed these 
words: Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida; 
for if in Tyre and Sidon the mighty works had been 
done that have been done in you, they would long ago 
have done penance in sackcloth and ashes.^ 

But it is especially in the next life that he condemns 
sin. As supreme Judge he pronounces the sentence that 
fixes the lot of each man for all eternity. Woe to them 
who appear before his tribunal sullied by mortal sin ! 
They will hear from his lips the sentence which will both 
condemn their sin and commit them to the frightful 
torments of hell. 

ijohn viii. 46. =Ps. vi. 9. ^Ibid. vii. 10. 

*Ibid. ix. 18. • ^Ibid. xxxvi. 9. ^Eccles. x. 7. 

^Ibid. xxi. 3. «Matt. xi, 21. 



398 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Although Jesus hates and condemiis sin^ yet he wishes 
to free us from it and to satisfy the divine justice for 
us. He alone can do that; for he alone can offer ade- 
quate satisfaction for an infinite offence. He lias 
taken upon Mm our iniquities;^ he became a victim for 
us. God placed upon him the sins of all men; upon 
him he laid the heavy arm of his justice. What a 
subject for meditation : Jesus Christ the victim of sin ! 
What a picture it presents of the sufferings that weighed 
down upon him^ crushed him^ and killed him ! 

Prom the hour of his entrance into this world, he 
wept over our sins. The crib where he lay was wet 
with his tears, and it was for our sins that he shed 
them. His whole life was a series of sufferings, con- 
tradictions and sorrows, ending in a most cruel death; 
and all this he endured to merit grace for us from his 
heavenly Father. 

Let us contemplate him, when he says to his enemies : 
This is your hourf and advances to become at their 
hands a victim for our sins. He stretches forth his 
hands to the hateful chains; he is led to the altar of 
his sacrifice, being subjected on the way to every sort 
of insult and outrage. Let us behold him at last on 
Calvary, lifted up on the cross, enduring the most 
burning thirst, the most painful agony, the most heart- 
rending sufferings, the most bitter grief, ending in 
absolute desolation of spirit. He is a leper struck by 
the hand of God. His body is one wound, his flesh 
is so torn that his bones may be counted. Even the last 
drop of his blood trickles down upon the ground which 
is wet with the price of our ransom. Thus does he 

^Isai. liii. 4. ^uke xxii. 53. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 399 

atone for sin; and^ while thus sufferings he pleads with 
his heavenly Father for ns all: Father, forgive them,^ 

Jesus Christy who offered reparation for our offences 
upon the cross^ continues that satisfaction upon our 
altars^ where he remains unceasingly the victim for our 
sins. There he offers himself in a mystical manner^ in 
virtue of the merits of his bloody sacrifice^ appeasing 
the divine justice which we cease not to irritate^ rec- 
onciling us with his Father^ and taking away the sins 
of the world. 

But Jesus has not only atoned for sin; he also gives 
us the means of preventing it and of destroying it 
within ourselves. He has provided a remedy for this 
disease of the soul ; he has poured oil and wine into 
the wounds of man who had fallen among devils. He 
has taught the nations what an evil it is to offend God^ 
and what joy attends the practice of virtue. He has 
founded his Churchy by which^ till the end of time, he 
continues his work of sanctifying souls and destroying 
sin. He has established the pure morality of the Gos- 
pel^ which is the admiration of even the enemies of 
Holy Writ. By it he has formed the conscience of 
Christians^ making it delicate^, just, and enlightened. 
He has instituted the sacraments of baptism and pen- 
ance for the remission of sins, saying to his apostles : 
Whose si7is you shall forgive, they are forgiven.^ 

Behold what Jesus Christ has done in reference to 
sin. He labors without ceasing for its destruction, 
both in his own person and by the ministry of his 
Church. 

^Luke xxiii. 34. ^jqi^j ^x. 23. 



400 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

APPLICATION^ 

As disciples of Jesus Christy let us become more 
deeply imbued with the thoughts and the sentiments of 
our adorable Master. Like him^ let us have an infinite 
hatred of sin. Let the very name and semblance of 
sin cause us horror^ and let us prove the sincerity of 
our hatred by our fidelity in avoiding occasions of 
sin. 

Let us condemn sin; but after the example of Jesus 
Christ let us be compassionate to sinners. Let us 
unite zeal for the glory of God with charity^ meekness^ 
and kindness towards all men. 

In union with our Savior^ let us atone for sin; let 
us by repentance disarm the justice of God^ irritated 
against us. Our Eedeemer has offered satisfaction for 
sin, but he wills that a portion of his passion should 
be accomplished in us. Let us remember this, and 
embrace with courage the cross on which ^\e should 
offer ourselves with him. 

Let us labor without ceasing to destroy sin in our- 
selves. Let us profit by the means given us for this 
purpose. Let us receive the sacrament of penance with 
all the requisite dispositions, and, after hearing the 
sentence of absolution pronounced over us, let us keep 
ourselves in the state of innocence to which we have 
been restored. 

Let us be zealous in inspiring our pupils with hatred 
of sin and with a firm purpose to avoid its occasions. 
Let us teach them to appreciate, love and embrace the 
practices of religion, which can preserve them from 
evil or deliver them from its voke. What a service we 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 401 

shall thus render them, and how heavih^ it will weigh 
in our favor in the balance of divine justice ! 

PEAYER 

Jesus, who didst come into the world to destroy 
sin and deliver lis from the cruel slavery of hell, grant, 
I beseech thee, that thy mission may be fully accom- 
plished in me. Penetrate my heart with the sentiments 
of thy adorable heart. Give me a love of justice, a 
hatred of iniquity, and a willingness to suffer every- 
thing to satisfy the justice of God. Grant that I may 
die to sin, to live eternally in thee and with thee. 
Grant also that I may guide properly the children en- 
trusted to me. Deign so to bless my labors, that I may 
succeed in inspiring m}^ pupils with a horror of sin 
and with a most ardent desire of living and dj^ing in 
thy holy love. 

Resume, page 322. 

Jesus Christ is the enemy of sin. 

1. He hates it with an infinite hatred. 

2. He condemns it and makes it the subject of his 
sentence of eternal reprobation. 

3. He has atoned for it upon the cross by the shed- 
ding of all his blood. 

4. He continues to expiate it upon our altars, where 
he unceasingly makes himself a victim for our offences. 

5. He provides a remedy for sin by his example, his 
morality, his institutions, his sacraments. 

— It is necessary, then, if we are to be his disciples : 

1. To bear an infinite hatred to sin. 

2. To condemn sin, but to compassionate the sinner. 



402 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

3. To atone for sin, to enter courageously upon the 
way of penance and persevere therein. 

4. To labor unceasingly to destroy sin in ourselves A 
and to confess with good dispositions. ' 

5. To be zealous in inspiring our pupils with hatred 
and aversion for sin. 



FOURTEENTH MEDITATION 
THE SAINTS AND SIN 

How then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my 
God? — Gen. xxxix. 9. 

CONSIDERATION 

As far as was possible for them^ the saints enter- 
tained the same sentiments as Jesns Christ regarding 
sin, and ruled their conduct by that of their divine 
Master. They hated and abhorred sin, and they grieved 
when they saw it committed. Enlightened as they were 
by the Holy Ghost, they knew that sin is an insult to 
God, a cruel outrage offered to our tender Eather, a 
misery which was the beginning of an infinity of other 
evils. They thought of the maledictions pronounced 
against sin; they remembered how terribly God pun- 
ished it in the rebel angels, in Adam, in Cain, and in 
so many individuals of all times who have been struck 
by his wrath. They sounded the depths of hell, and 
reflected that sin had dug them out and peopled them. 
They fixed their eyes upon the cross, and contem- 
plated Jesus Christ, the victim for our sins ; they meas- 
ured, as far as they could, the ocean of sorrow into 
which he was plunged, and at that sight their hearts 
were penetrated with hatred of sin, and horror of an 
evil that had caused such suffering to our divine Savior. 

403 



404 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

The saints avoided sin^ even at the greatest sacrifices^ 
and thus above all did they show their hatred of it. 
Let us call to mind, in the Old Law^ Joseph^ Susanna, 
the aged Eleazar, the seven brothers Macchabees^ and 
many others who preferred to suffer ignominy^ tor- 
ments^ and death itself ;, rather than consent to sin; 
answering those who pressed them to commit it^ ^^How 
could I sin against my God ! How could I insult him 
in his very presence ! I would rather die innocent than 
live guilty/' 

Let us recall the legions of martyrs in the New 
Law. What is the history of these fourteen millions 
of heroes but the recital of what they have done and 
suffered to avoid sin? They were commanded to re- 
nounce their faith^ and they refused; they were men- 
aced^ and they offered their limbs to be tortured; the}^ 
were again urged to obey, and they presented their 
necks to the axe of the executioner. They suffered tor- 
ments the simple recital of which makes us shudder, 
and from which the imagination recoils with horror; 
and to put an end to these torments, to substitute for 
them all the pleasures and enjoyments of earth, thej^ 
had but to speak one word; but since that word was 
an offence against God they would not utter it. 

Besides the martyrs, how many saints have there not 
been, of whom it may be said, as was said of St. Basil, 
"This man fears nothing but sin V^ How many saints, 
like St. Martinian and St. Thomas of Aquin, resisted 
the most dangerous temptations with a most energetic 
will ! Yes, the saints avoided sin, and therefore they 
shunned its occasions. Like us, they were inclined to 
evil; but more prudent than Ave, they took care not to . 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 405 

expose themselves to the danger of sin. What precau- 
tions did they not take to prevent temptations or to 
triumph over them ! With what care did they not 
watch over their eyes, lest they might see the vanities 
of the world ! over their minds^ not to consent to bad 
thoughts ! over their hearts, to keep them pure ! 

The saints made a worthy use of the means estab- 
lished to preserve the soul from sin — frequent and fer- 
vent reception of the sacraments, prayer, vigilance, par- 
ticular examen, manifestation of conscience, docility to 
spiritual direction, and constant labor. They neglected 
nothing that could help form a bulwark of safety. 

It is true that among the saints there were some who 
had committed sin, who had even sunk deep into the 
mire of iniquity ; but when, by the light of faith/ they 
saw the shameful leprosy of sin with which they were 
covered, they deplored their errors, they had recourse to 
God, they begged his grace, and with the help of grace 
they embraced practices of the most austere penance. 

Let us .think of David clothed in sackcloth, eating 
ashes like bread, watering his couch with his tears, and 
wasted away with sorrow. Let us think of St. Peter, 
lamenting during his whole life the misfortune of hav- 
ing denied his divine Master, so that his tears had fur- 
rowed his cheeks. Let us call to mind St. Magdalen 
passing, according to tradition, thirty years in a fright- 
ful wilderness to expiate her sins; St. Augustine de- 
ploring unceasingly the sins that he had committed, 
and striving to compensate by love of God the injury 
they had done him; the many anchorites who lived in 
the desert a life of such privations as to alarm our 
delicacy. Yes, they had sinned ; but with what severity 



406 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

did they not punish themselves for it ! How severely 
did they not chastise their bodies, and crucify their 
flesh with its appetites! They had but one aim in view 
■ — to satisfy the justice of God in union with the ador- 
able Yictim of Calvary. 

The saints were animated by an ardent^, courageous, 
persevering zeal against sin. Their whole ambition was 
to destroy it. To succeed in this they instructed, ex- 
horted, counselled, entreated, admonished, condemned, 
and even anathematized. They prayed, and asked oth- 
ers to pray ; they gave themselves up to arduous labors ; 
they shrank from no sacrifice ; they founded good works 
of every kind. They counted it an immense gain if they 
could succeed in keeping souls from sin or withdrawing 
them from its empire; saying with St. Ignatius, that 
they would think the labors of a lifetime well compen- 
sated, could they thereby prevent even a single venial 
sin. 

APPLICATION" 

Let us bless our Lord for having given us such ad- 
mirable models in the person of his saints. Let us 
imitate them with fidelity and constancy. Let us hate 
and fear sin. Let us flee from the sight of it as we 
would from a serpent. Let us avoid it at every cost, 
and employ for this purpose the means furnished us by 
our holy state. 

Let us watch over our senses, our thoughts, our 
hearts. Let us keep aloof from the world, as our rules 
prescribe. Let us mortify our tastes, our inclinations, 
our humors. Let us distrust ourselves, and refrain 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 407 

resolutel}^ from everything that might be a subject of 
temptation to us. Let us be men of prayer; let us draw 
from our union with Jesus Christ the strength which 
we need to prevent and destroy sin in our souls. 

Like the saints^, let us punish ourselves for the sins 
which we have committed. Let us not easily forget 
that we have contracted an immense debt to divine 
justice, and that nothing is of more importance to us 
than to pay it. Like the saints, let us labor to destroy 
sin in the souls of others. What might w^e not do in 
this respect by fervent prayers offered up with a view 
to obtain the conversion of sinners, by an edifying life, 
by care in discharging zealously the duties in which we 
are employed by obedience! 

What an excellent work it is to train up childhood and 
youth in hatred of sin and in avoidance of its occasions, 
in pious practices fitted to preserve the soul from evil, 
or at least withdraw it from sin if it has had the mis- 
fortune to contract its guilt ! Let us understand this, 
and neglect nothing that can conduce to so useful an 
end. 

How sincerely we shall felicitate ourselves on our 
conduct when our lifers career closes! Having fol- 
lowed in the footsteps of the saints, we shall arrive at 
the same end with them. Jesus Christ will pronounce 
on us the same sentence, he will place on our brow the 
crown of justice, and he will admit us into the number 
of his elect. 

PEAYEE 

Saints of God, friends of Jesus Christ, who reign 
with him in glory, deign to intercede for us, and to 



408 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

obtain for us the grace to imitate you in hatred of sin 
and in zeal to destroy it both in ourselves and in the 
souls of those entrusted to our care ; so that, glorifying 
God after your example^ we may share the infinite hap- 
piness with which he has rewarded your fidelity. 

R^sum^, page 322. 

The Saints had the same sentiments for sin as had 
Jesus Christ. 

1. They hated and abhorred sin. 

2. They avoided it with the greatest care, and even 
at the sacrifice of life. 

3. They fled from the occasions of sin. 

4. Those who had committed it did penance for it, 
and what penance ! 

5. They were animated with an ardent, courageous, 
and persevering zeal to destroy it. 

— As children of saints, are we their imitators ? 

1. Do we hate sin? 

2. Do we avoid it at any cost? 

3. Do we shun its occasions? 

4. Do we deplore having committed it so often? 

5. Are we zealous in inducing our pupils to avoid 
sin and its occasions? What good we may do in this 
respect if we are moved by the spirit of our vocation! 



FIFTEENTH MEDITATION 
JESUS CHRIST AND SINNERS 

I am not come to call the just, but sinners. — Luke ix. 13. 
CONSIDEEATIOIsr 

What proofs has not our Lord given of his kindness 
to sinners? In the old law^ and even from the begin- 
ning of the world, God had shown wonderful mercy. 
Being the Word of God, he knew the extent of the 
crime of Adam and Eve in disobeying, and he offered 
to atone for it^ telling our first parents that he would 
look upon them with pity and save them from everlast- 
ing death. 

As the ages went on he ceased not to make known by 
his angels and his prophets his compassionate love for 
the souls held captive by Satan. In a thousand ways 
he expressed the thought of his heart : / desire not the 
death of the wicked, hut thai the wicked turn from his 
way and live} 

At the period fixed in his decrees, the Eternal Wor 1 
assumed our nature. He came to dwell among us mis- 
erable creatures, who were so deeply in debt to divine 
justice. mystery of the Incarnation, thou art the 
mystery of the love of Jesus Christ for guilty man ! 
The Infant-God whom I behold in the crib is full of 
love for sinners, fixing his eyes upon them, stretching 

^Ezech. xxxiii. 11. 
409 



410 MtDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

forth his hands to them, calling them, entreating them 
to come to him. 

He consents to be the victim of their reconciliation 
with his Father. It is for their sake that he embraces 
a life of sorrows; it is for them that he will go forth 
to labor and suffer ; it is for them he will lay down his 
life on Calvary; it is for them he will continue that 
oblation on the altar, where till the end of time he will 
offer up his merits to his Father, in order to obtain 
mercy for man. 

What is there in his life that does not testify to his 
love for sinners? Is it not manifest in his every 
word and deed? Did he not say to sinners: Cojne to 
me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I wilh 
refresh you?^ Is it not sinners whom he invites to his 
banquet in the words of the father of a family to his 
servants: Go out into the highways and hedges, and 
compel them to come in that my house may be filled f 
With what kindness does he not speak of them to the 
Pharisees: They that are in health need not a 'phy- 
sician, but they that are sick. Go then and learn what 
this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice! 
For I a7n not come to call the just, but sinners.^ In 
another place, checking the excessive zeal of the sons 
of Zebedee, he says: The Son of man came not to 
destroy souls, but to save/ a thought which he repeats 
later on : The Son of man is come to seek and to save 
that which was lost!' 

His love for sinners is admirably expressed in many 
of his parables. Consider the figures in which he 

^Matt. xi. 28. ^Luk^ xiv. 23. ^Matt. ix. 12, 13. 
*Luke ix. 56. ^Ibid. xix. 10. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 411 

speaks of the sinful soul. In one place, he likens it 
to a groat which had been lost, and which a woman, 
representing the Church, seeks with great care, and 
when she has found it, she rejoices exceedingly. In 
anothel- place he compares it to a lost sheep which the 
shepherd follows until he has overtaken it, when he 
places it on his shoulders, and joyfully returns with it 
to the fold. Elsewhere he speaks of it under the like- 
ness of the prodigal son who, having fled from his 
father's house and squandered all his substance in de- 
bauchery, returns to his father, and is received by him 
with heartfelt joy. 

How great must have been his compassion for the 
sick and infirm who came to him from all parts ! What, 
then, are we to think of his compassion for sinners, 
for enfeebled, sick, and dead souls who are infinitely 
more to be pitied than persons afflicted by the most 
grievous distempers of the body? For these souls he 
had such tender pity that it was made a subject of 
reproach to him : This man receiveth sinners and eatetJi 
with them^ It was indeed true. He received them 
with kindness and even went in search of them. On 
one occasion he sat near the well of Jacob to await and 
convert the Samaritan woman. On another, he pardoned 
the repentant Magdalen. At Jericho he abode in the 
house of Zacheus, the chief of the publicans. In the 
temple he refused to condemn the adulterous woman 
and saved her from her accusers. On the cross he asked 
his Father to pardon his executioners, and he extended 
the fullness of his mercy to the penitent thief. 

To whom did he ever close his heart ? Whom did he 
^Luke XV. 2, 



412 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ever reject ? No one, not even Judas ! Did he not 
press him to his breast at the very moment when the 
wretch was betraying him ? Did he not even then give 
him the sweet name of friend? . . 

'0 sinners, why should you fear Jesus? why tremble 
like slaves in his presence? His eyes are fixed upon 
you and express nothing but kindness. His voice in 
calling you is full of sweetness. His arms are opened 
to you, his head bent towards you; his ardent desire is 
to clasp you to his bosom and give you the kiss of peace. 
Go then to him with confidence. 

He loves you with a most ardent and generous love; 
he loves you with the love that fastened him to the 
cross, and held him there till he had breathed forth his 
last sigh. Can you, then, doubt his love when you 
contemplate him as a victim on the altar of the cross? 
Do you remember his own words: Greater love than 
this no man hath, than that a man lay down his life for 
his friends?^ And does not St. Paul say: God com- 
mendeth his charity towards us, because ivhen as yet 
we were sinners . . . Christ died for its?^ 

The pity of Jesus Christ for sinners continues to be 
exercised by his bishops and priests, to whom he has 
given power to forgive sins. Through their ministra- 
tions, he reconciles us with his Father, he washes us 
in his own blood, he offers us forgiveness and entreats 
us to ask it. He restores us to our former state and 
settles us in peace, giving us a foretaste of the joys 
which he prepares for us in the next life, and which he 
will bestow upon us if we correspond to his graces here 
below. 

^John XV. 13. 2Rom. v. 8, a 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 413 

APPLICATION 

Let us adore the goodness of Jesus Christ towards 
us poor sinners. Let us praise his infinite mercy^ let 
us exalt his goodness to us^ in spite of the numberless 
blemishes which he discovers in our souls. Let us put 
our confidence in him^ and repose on his love for us. 
Let us believe in his willingness to pardon our offences 
and fill us with his grace ; and let us reject every doubt 
on this head as an insult to his loving heart. 

Let us instil into our pupils a like confidence in him, 
and induce them to love him with all their hearts. Let 
us be true models to them in this respect. Let us give 
our Savior love for love. Let us show him that our 
hearts burn with the fire of divine charity^, that they 
belong wholly to him who sacrificed himself for us. 
Let us give proof that we value his love for us. 

Let us attach ourselves to him^ and serve him with 
unswerving fidelity. Let us remember that to do this 
we must strive to imitate him. Like him, let us be 
compassionate and charitable; let us pardon willingly, 
and love to pardon ; let us love sinners, let us love those 
who are m^ost abandoned, and eagerly seek for the lost 
sheep. Let us thus merit to have these words ful- 
filled in us: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall 
obtain mercy ^ 

PEAYER 

^"^•0 Jesus, who didst pardon Mary Magdalen, and 
hearken to the thief upon the cross, thou hast given 

^Matt. v. 7. 



414 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

me grounds to hope in thy mercy ;'^^ and therefore do I 
come to thee. A stray sheep^ I return to the fold; a 
prodigal son, I come back to my father's house. Deign 
to pardon me, my Shepherd, my Father, and 
sustain me by thy grace in my present dispositions, that 
I may give as much joy to the angels by my conversion 
as I have hitherto grieved them by my wanderings. 

Resume, page 323. 

What charity our Lord Jesus Christ had for sinners! 

1. Son of God, for them he made himself man. 

2. For them he labored, suffered, and died. 

3. For them he continues to immolate himself upon 
the altar. 

4. He spoke of them only as objects dear to his 
heart. He rejected none of them. His goodness to- 
ward them was so great that his enemies reproached 
him with it. 

5. He instituted the sacrament of penance, wherein 
he never ceases to offer them pardon. 

As sinners, why do we not understand how much 
Jesus Christ loves us ! 

— Yes, ever5i;hing urges us: 

1. To adore his bounty, his infinite mercy. 

2. To return to him with confidence. 

3. To return to him promptly, this very moment. 

4. To give him back love for love, 

5. To attach ourselves to him, to serve him with 
unfailing fidelity. 

Wies Irce. 



SIXTEENTH MEDITATION 

INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENT OF 
PENANCE 

Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them. — 
John XX. 23. 

COXSIDEEATION 

Let us adore our Lord Jesus Christ, who, although 
he hates sin with an infinite hatred, yet is filled with 
compassion for sinners. His divine heart abhors the 
very appearance of sin. and yet it burns with love for 
even the most guilty. It is by virtue of this hatred and 
this love that he wishes so sincerely to destroy sin. 

He came upon earth to do this work, and inspired his 
holy precursor to call him tlie Lanih of God iclio taketh 
away the sins of the icorJcl^ His mission is truly the 
destruction of sin^ as was foretold by the prophets and 
are figured by the Jewish ceremonies. 

The miracles that he wrought during his life on 
earth were also symbols of the healing of souls. All 
those infirmities of the body which he healed by his 
omnipotence represented infirmities of the soul, to which 
he applied a still more admirable remedy, and of 
which they were, remotely or immediately^ the unhappy 
consequence. 

He came to wash away sin by his own blood. By 
the infinite merits of his sacrifice he has merited favor 
for us in the eyes of divine Majesty. St. Paul speaks 
^John i. 29. 



416 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of him as hlotting out the handwriting of the decree 
which was against us, which was contrary to us, and 
the same he tooh out of the way, fastening it to the 
cross^ 

Jesus Christ forgave sins directly whilst upon earth. 
Let us call to mind the cure of the man sick of the 
palsy at Capharnaum. Seeing the faith of his at- 
tendants^ he said to the sick man, Son, he of good 
heart, thy sins are forgiven thee.^ Some of the scribes 
present were scandalized, but he answered them : Which 
is easier to say. Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say. 
Rise up and walk? But, that you may hnow that the 
Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then, 
said he to the man sich of the palsy: Rise up, take thy 
bed and go into thy house,^ 

Let us recall Mary Magdalen, of whom he said: 
Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved 
much/ and Zacheus, whom he called a child of Abra- 
ham, adding that salvation had come to his house. Let 
us remember the sick whom he cured at once, in soul 
and body, and whom he dismissed with these words: 
Behold thou art made whole, sin no more^ 

But since Jesus Christ was to remain visible only a 
short time among men, and since he wished his mis- 
sion to continue after his ascension and to extend over 
the whole earth, he gave his apostles and their succes- 
sors power to forgive sins. He had already said to St. 
Peter: I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt hind upon earth it 
shall he hound also in heaven; and tuhatsoever thou 

^Col. ii. 14. 2Tyjatt. ix. 2. ^bid. ix. 5, 6. 

*Luke vii. 47. ^John v. 14. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 417 

shalt loose upon earth it sliall he loosed also in lieaven.' 
But he conferred this power anew upon him and then 
upon the other apostles^ when he appeared to them on 
the day of his resurrection in the room where they 
were assembled. 

Let us reflect upon this circumstance in which he 
gave so precious a pledge of his love for us poor sinners. 
He had just risen from the dead. He had vanquished 
death, and broken its sting for all the faithful who 
were or who would be united to him. He had accom- 
plished all that he came to fulfill; he had now to make 
men share in these blessings. Our salvation had been 
merited; but it was still necessary to apply the merits 
by which alone we could be saved. Heaven was open; 
but it was necessary to furnish each of us with the 
means of gaining its happiness. 

^ow the great means to lead man to heaven^ to apply 
to him the merits of his redemption and deliver him 
from the power of the devil, is the sacrament of pen- 
ance which Jesus Christ instituted. Addressing himself 
to the assembled Apostles, he said: Receive ye the Holy 
Ghost; whose sin^ you shall forgive^ they are forgiven 
them; and whose you shall retain^ they are retained.^ 
By these words he gave them power to forgive all sins, 
whatever their number or their malice. 

adorable invention of his love! Supreme Judge of 
the living and the dead, he founded the tribunal of his 
justice on the threshold of eternity ; but to enable us to 
prevent the excess of its severity, he established upon 
earth the tribunal of his mercy. That tribunal is al- 
ways open ; all can approach it, for it is in every church. 
^Matt. xvi. 19. ""John xx. 22, 23. 



4:18 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

There the repentant sinner may come and prostrate 
himself, saying, / have sinned against the Lord;^ and 
he will immediately hear those consoling words: The 
Lord hath . . . taken away thy sin. 

In that tribunal is seated, not Jesns Christ personally, 
nor one of his angels; for in that case we might be 
afraid to draw near, but a man who, although clothed 
with the power of his divine Lord is, like us, weak and 
liable to sin, and consequently has but to look into his 
own heart to find motives for being indulgent to us. 

Sacrament of reconciliation, how can one think of 
thee without being filled with sentiments of gratitude 
towards thy divine Author! In thee are fulfilled the 
words of the prophet: "A fountain should be opened 
to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
lem, to wash away the uncleanness of the sinner/^ 

By thee the Savior remedies our evils and delivers us 
from our infirmities. Thou art the new Jordan in 
which those who wash are cleansed of their leprosy. 
Thou art the sacred bath of the blood of the Lamb, in 
which every one who has faith can recover the purity of 
his innocence. By thee, he who said: I am the resur- 
rection and the life^ says again. Young man, arise f 
or, as to Lazarus, Come forth f and by these words he 
recalls to the life of grace souls that had been dead in 
his sight. 

APPLICATION 

Let us praise the infinite goodness of Jesus Christ 

^2 Kings xii. 13. -John xi. 25. ^Luke vii. 14. 
*John xi. 43. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 419 

towards sinful and unhappy man. Let us admire the 
works which it has moved him to perform. Let us 
particularly bless him for the sacrament by which he 
justifies us before his Father, and which is such a price- 
less gift of his loving heart. For the sacrament of 
penance is our hope and our strength, it restores us to 
the friendship of God and his angels, and gives us back 
our right to heaven. 

Let us make a frequent and holy use of it. Let us 
never stay away from it with a disturbed and troubled 
conscience. Let us go to confession at the times fixed 
by our rules, and let us bring to it all the dispositions 
requisite. Let us esteem our holy state, in which we 
have so many means of avoiding sin and so many fa- 
cilities for returning to God^s grace, if we have had 
the misfortune to offend so good a Master. 

The sacred pool is near us, and the angel is ever 
stirring its waters, and inviting us to descend and be 
cured of our spiritual maladies. Let us accept his in- 
vitation, and, once cured, let us take care to sin no 
more. 

Let us instruct our pupils well in all that regards 
the sacrament of penance. Let us lead them to esteem 
and love it, and excite in them a desire to receive it 
frequently. Let us teach them how to make their con- 
fessions well. As far as depends on us, let us train them 
to a frequent reception of the sacraments. Is not 
this the true means of preserving them from evil, or 
withdrawing them from it when they have fallen into 
sin? Consequently, is not this the very essence of our 
mission as Christian teachers? 



420 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

PKAYEE 

heart of Jesus^ abyss of love and compassion^ that^ 
after atoning for onr crimes^ dost purify us by thy 
blood and make us share in thy merits, be thou glorified 
and blessed forever for the sacrament of reconciliation 
which thou hast established in thy Church ! Grant, by 
thy grace, that we may worthily receive it, and that we 
may preserve the spiritual life which thou givest us 
therein; for by this life we are united to thee in time, 
and by it we hope to be at last united to thee in eternity. 

R6sum§, page 323. 

Let us consider Jesus Christ remitting sin and in- 
stituting the sacrament of penance. 

1. It is for that reason that he came upon earth. 

2. It is for that reason that he suffered and died. 

3. He remitted it directly, as we see in the case of 
the paralytic, of Magdalen, of Zacheus. 

4. He gave his Apostles and their successors the 
power of remitting it. 

5. Let us picture him saying to them: ^^Whose sins 
you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.^^ 

— Admiring his infinite goodness : 

1. Let us bless him for this salutary institution. 

2. Let us make frequent and holy use of it. 

3. Let us appreciate our state, wherein we can so 
easily have recourse to it. 

4. Let us instruct our pupils well in what relates to 
the sacrament of penance. 

5. Let us do our utmost to have them approach it 
frequently and with holy dispositions. 



SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION 

BENEFITS OF THE SACRAMENT OF 
PENANCE 

I am the resurrection and the life. — John xi. 25. 
CONSIDEEATIOJ^ 

How Avonderful and how salutary are the effects of 
the sacrament of penance ! How powerfully its precious 
advantages should move ns to glorify divine Providence ! 
When we receive it with the requisite dispositions, we 
proclaim God^s goodness, by which he pardons sinners. 
We exalt his greatness and majesty by humbling our- 
selves before his minister, sacrificing our pride to ac- 
cuse ourselves of our offences. We do homage to his 
holiness, by confessing our guilt ; to his wisdom and his 
power, by avowing our ignorance and our weaknesses; 
to his justice, by offering him the satisfaction which he 
requires, uniting it to that of his adorable Son on the 
cross.. By receiving the sacrament of penance, there- 
fore, we honor the perfections of God, and give joy to 
his heart, which is so anxious to bestow grace upon us 
and to cover us with his mercies. 

What a satisfaction it is to our loving Father to see 
us return to him from whom sin had separated us ! 
With what joy he goes forth to meet the prodigal son 
returning to his Father^s house ! This, in a sense, con- 
stitutes all his happiness; for what does he desire more 

421 



422 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

ardently than to make iis experience the greatness of 
his goodness towards ns ? 

But let US examine the effects of the sacrament of 
penance when received with the requisite dispositions. 
How much reason do thej^ not furnish us for even 
greater gratitude and love to the Author of this ines- 
timable benefit ! 

The sacrament of penance effaces the sins committed 
after baptism. If these sins be mortal^ the soul before 
confession w^as dead; but after receiving absolution it 
lives anew the life of Jesus Christ. Our divine Master 
has said to it^ as to the son of the widow of Naim, 
Arise, or, as to Lazarus^ Come forth. His words are 
efficacious, for absolution has for that soul the virtue of 
a true resurrection. It annuls its sentence of condemna- 
tion; it turns aside the chastisements with which God 
was about to punish it; and it withdraws it from the 
power of the devil. By the efficacy of this sacrament 
the devils are banished from the heart of the sinner 
and deprived of their power over him. They forfeit 
their title deeds, which are cast into the fire; and the 
fetters of the sinner^s bondage are broken. 

The sacrament of penance is the plank after ship- 
wreck, by which we may reach the harbor of safety. It 
is a new baptism which re-establishes us in the state 
from which we had fallen by sin. By this sacrament 
we become again friends of God, heirs of his kingdom, 
brothers of Jesus Christ, living members of the Church 
and sharers in the communion of saints. By it our 
soul, purified in the blood of the Lamb, recovers its 
former beauty, and shines with the splendor of divine 
grace. Again it puts on the nuptial robe that gives it 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 423 

a right to sit down at the heavenly banquet. God re- 
news his friendship with it; he looks upon it with 
complacency as his well-beloved child; he gives it the 
assurance that 'he will not judge it in his anger. He 
restores it to its former state in his eyes^ and conse- 
quently in its own eyes and in those of all men. 
miracle of Christ^s mercy ! We come burdened by 
debt to prostrate ourselves at the feet of his minister^ 
and we arise laden with riches. The grace of absolu- 
tion puts us again in possession of the spiritual treas- 
ures of which sin had stripped us ; it restores our good 
actions to us, as well as our rights to that degree of 
glory with which God wishes to recompense us. By it 
our works become meritorious for heaven; they are no 
longer dead, but are recorded in the Book of Life and 
will be credited to us in eternity. The sacrament of 
penance restores peace to the soul and gives joy to the 
heart. 

Who has not experienced this? Who has not been 
seized with terror at the thought that he was an enemy 
of God, that he was a fit subject of his vengeance, that 
he stood upon the brink of hell^ separated only by death 
from that abyss into which the wicked are cast, and 
where they suffer forever every species of torment? 
Yes, it was to anguish of that kind that sin delivered 
us. Fear pierced our bones, remorse left no peace to 
our conscience. We experienced the truth of the pro- 
phet's saying, that it is an evil and a bitter thing . . . 
to have left the Lord thy God."^ 

But re-entering into ourselves, we acknowledged our 
guilt and unveiled our conscience before Christ's min- 
ijer. ii. 19. 



424 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ister, who at last pronounced the sentence of our par- 
don. then what a change was wrought in us! It 
seemed to us that a great weight had been taken from 
our hearts, into which peace had again entered. We 
were no longer objects of shame in our own eyes; hope 
and love succeeded fear; God was no longer an irri- 
tated Judge, but the most loving of fathers. Our 
ej^es turned with delight to heaven, and death seemed 
only a liberator since it was to open to us the gate of 
paradise. 

Behold the effects of the sacrament of penance when 
received with the necessary dispositions. It is, more- 
over, one of the most efficacious means of advancing in 
perfection. By receiving it we practise the most admir- 
able virtues: faith in Jesus Christ and his Church, 
hope of salvation, charity at least in its beginning, hu- 
mility, obedience and sincerity. By receiving it fre- 
quently, we contract the habit of watching over our- 
selves; we take note of all our actions, and observe 
all our conduct; we know the state of our conscience. 

We receive at the holy tribunal prudent advice that 
is both suited to our wants and of immense value for 
our spiritual guidance. We leave it with courage to do 
well and a resolution to persevere in the state of grace 
to which we have been restored. How, then, can we 
s,ufficiently esteem the source of so many blessings? 
How can we thank its divine Author as he deserves, for 
this gift of his liberality and his love? 

APPLICATION 

Let us adore our Lord instituting the sacrament of 
penance for us. Let us admire and praise his infinite 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 425 

mercy. What goodness on his part who, although offend- 
ed by our sins, yet establishes the means by which we 
may obtain pardon for them ! Let us bless him for his 
pity on us poor sinners, and for procuring for us by 
the grace of absolution both life and salvation. Let us 
be heartily attached to his service, and live only to 
promote his glory. 

Let us put ourselves in a state to profit by the graces 
offered to us. Let us carefully prepare for confession; 
and let us accuse ourselves with true contrition and a 
firm purpose of amending our lives. Lastly, let us 
watch over ourselves, that we may preserve the fruit 
of the sacrament of reconciliation. 

Let us make known to our pupils this gift of God^s 
mercy, and teach them to admire its excellence. Let 
us instruct them well in its advantages to the faithful 
individually, to their families and to society in gen- 
eral. Let us neglect nothing to inspire them with the 
greatest esteem for it and with the desire to have re- 
course frequently to this means of sanctification. 

PEAYER 

Jesus, merciful Lord, be thou blessed for all thy 
mercies, but particularly for thy institution of the sacra- 
ment of penance, by which thou recallest us from sin 
to grace, from the slavery of the devil to the liberty of 
thy children, from death to life, from hell to heaven ! 
Grant that we may always receive it with the disposi- 
tions of true penitents, and thus obtain all its effects. 
May it thus procure us the grace of living by thee on 
earth, that we may live with thee forever in heaven. 



436 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Resume, page 324 

When we receive the sacrament of penance with the 
requisite dispositions: 

1. We give joy to the heart of God. 

2. We escape from the dominion of hell. 

3. We recover the merits and the rights that we had 
lost by sin. 

4. We taste peace of heart anew. 

5. We feel disposed to the practice of virtue. 

We pass from death to life. A greater miracle is 
wrought in us than was the resurrection of Lazarus. 
— What reason have we not^ then : 

1. To glorify our Lord for instituting this sacra- 
ment? 

2. To return thanks to his divine bounty? 

3. To approach it only with a true desire of profiting 
by it? 

4. To preserve its fruits after having received it ? 

5. To make it appreciated by our pupils^ and induce 
them to approach it frequently and with good dispo- 
sitions ? 



EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION 

PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF 
PENANCE 

Let us go therefore with conjadence to the throne of grace, 
that we may obtain mercy. — Heb. iv. 16. 

CONSIDEEATION 

The sacrament of penance, when received with all the 
requisite dispositions^ produces the most admirable ef- 
fects. Let us, then, leave nothing undone to acquire 
these dispositions, and for that purpose let us always 
bring sufBcient preparation to our confessions. Let us 
remember that a great interest, our reconciliation with 
God, is at stake; let ns remember that we are going 
to prostrate ourselves at the foot of the cross, to receive 
on our souls the precious blood which Jesus Christ 
poured forth for the expiation of our sins. 

Let us begin by imploring the light of the Holy Ghost. 
Let us earnestly beseech him to enlighten our minds 
and to touch our hearts, penetrating them with the 
sentiments that he requires of us as conditions of our 
forgiveness. Knowledge of our sins, contrition, a firm 
purpose of amendment, and confidence in the divine 
mercy are gifts from on high which prayer brings down 
upon us. Let us, then, pray with fervor to obtain them, 
and thus make confessions that will be truly beneficial 
to us. 

437 



428 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

After having implored the light of the Holy Ghost^ 
and invoked the protection of the most Blessed Virgin, 
St. Joseph, and our good angel guardian, let ns occupy 
ourselves seriously with the examination of our con- 
science. Let us examine in God^s presence what has 
been our conduct in regard to his holy law. Let us 
pass in review his commandments, and those of the 
Church. Let us consider our different obligations as 
Christians, as religious, and as teachers. Let us think 
of what we owe to God, our neighbor, and ourselves, 
and judge ourselves according to the standard of 
truth. 

Let us distrust our self-love, which is so skilful in 
hiding our faults. Let us not deceive ourselves. Let 
us franlvly acknowledge our interior to be such as it 
really is in the eyes of him who sees all things. Let us 
call to mind both our sins and such circumstances as 
change their species or increase their grievousness. 

Let us give sufficient time to this examination. Let 
us not, however, give too much and thus leave little 
time to excite contrition; for as we approach the holy 
tribunal frequently, we should regard sorrow and a firm 
purpose of amendment as the most important points. If 
we have committed any grievous sins, they will at once 
come to our mind; as to the others, although it is very 
useful to confess them, it is not necessary for the val- 
idity of the sacrament to do so. Therefore the masters 
of the spiritual life advise us to declare some only of 
our venial sins, rather than a great number, but to take 
care to be truly sorry for each of those that we confess. 
They call attention to the principle that our confes- 
sion would be null if we had not sorrow for at least one 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 429 

of the sins of which we accuse ourselves, when we have 
no mortal sins to confess. 

Let us then after our examination of conscience ex- 
cite ourselves to sorrow for the faults that we have 
discovered. Let us reflect on the malice of sin, looking 
upon it is an odious revolt of the creature against the 
Creator. Let us ponder its characteristics, particularly 
its ingratitude to the most loving of fathers and kind- 
est of benefactors. Let us remember that his goodness 
to us deserves fidelity and self-sacrifice on our part, and 
let us examine to what extent we have shown these in 
our conduct. 

Let us raise our thoughts to heaven and reflect that 
as nothing defiled can enter there, sin has closed it 
against us. Let us then cast our eyes on purgatory and 
consider the punishment there inflicted on the venial 
sins which we commit, alas ! in such numbers, and for 
which we feel so little regret. Let us descend deeper 
still: let us consider hell with its darkness, its devour- 
ing fires, its eternal despair; and let us think that we 
have deserved to be cast into it because of our sins. 

But in order to excite in ourselves a more perfect 
sorrow, let us go in spirit to Calvary ; let us behold our 
adorable Savior crucified, crowned with thorns, bleed- 
ing, torn by the scourges, enduring every suffering, 
abandoned by all, not able to obtain even a drop of 
water to relieve his parching thirst, and dying a 
most cruel and ignominious death ; and let us remember 
that his sufferings are our work, the work of our sins. 
How with thoughts like th^se in our minds can we 
fail to regret all our offences ! How, while weeping 
over Jesus, can we help weeping over ourselves who cru- 



430 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

cified him^ and entering into the spirit of those words 
which he addressed to the holy women who compas- 
sionated him : Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over 
me; hut weep for yourselves and for your children.^ 

Let us join to sorrow for our sins a firm purpose 
never more to commit them and to avoid all occasions 
of sin. Is it not evident that before asking for grace, 
we should be fully resolved never more to offend him 
whose clemency we are going to implore ? Let us^, then, 
form a sincere resolution to avoid sin and all that might 
lead to it. Let us put ourselves in the dispositions of 
the saints, who would willingly have sacrificed their 
possessions, their health, their life, rather than consent 
to offend God even venially. 

But while we are full of sorrow for our faults, and 
resolved never to relapse into them, let us also excite 
ourselves to confidence, remembering what faith teaches 
us of the goodness, the clemency, and the mercy of 
God. Whoever we are and whatever our sins may have 
been, let us open our hearts to hope. All that can be 
wept for, can be pardoned. Let us, then, exclaim with 
the penitent saints: ''Have mercy on me, God, ac- 
cording to thy great mercy.' I am indeed guilty; but 
the number and enormity of my sins will only make 
thy clemency appear more striking. For thy name's 
sake, Lord, thou ivilt pardon my sin; for it is great,^ 
Take pity on my soul which has cost thee so dear, and 
which thou hast deigned to purchase with thy blood. It 
is dead, but if thou wilt place thy hand upon it, it will 
live. Eemember that thou hast said : I am the resur- 
rection and the life.^ raise my soul to life, and after 
^Luke xxiii. 28. =Ps. J. 3. ^Ibid. xxiv. 11. *John xi. 25. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 431 

thou hast, by absolution, restored to me the life of 
grace, grant that I may never more lose it, but that 
by it I may merit the life of glory V^ 

APPLICATION 

If we wish to prepare well for the sacrament of 
penance, let us fervently invoke the Holy Ghost, and 
implore the assistance of the most Blessed Virgin, St. 
Joseph and our holy angel guardian, that we may be 
enlightened as to the state of our conscience, and know 
in what relation w^e stand to God and his holy law. 
But let us pray still more earnestly to obtain contri- 
tion for our sins, and the disposition never more to 
commit them. 

Let us examine our conscience carefully every day; 
for nothing so greatly facilitates the examination for 
confession, which then becomes only a review of what 
we have already done. A religious should always be 
ready for confession and for death. God grant that 
it be so with us ! 

Let us frequently meditate on the truths most calcu- 
lated to excite us to contrition : the perfections of God, 
heaven, purgatory, hell, but, above all, the passion of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be more and more con- 
vinced of the goodness of God, and let us entertain the 
most lively confidence in his mercy. Let us enter into 
the heart of Jesus, and consider his compassion for 
us poor sinners and his desire to show us mercy. Let 
us not yield to fear, for he has merited for us that 
sanctifying grace which we beg of his heavenly Father, 
and he takes delight in bestowing it upon us. 



432 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

Let US train our pupils to prepare well for confession, 
to make the examination of conscience with care, and to 
excite in their hearts true contrition and a firm purpose 
of amendment. 

PEAYER 

divine Savior, grant that I may profit by the means 
of sanctification and salvation which thou hast estab- 
lished, and particularly by the sacrament of penance, 
which I receive so often. Grant that I may bring to it 
the necessary dispositions for receiving its full efficacy, 
and that by it I may be established in thy holy love 
and persevere to the end therein. 

Resume, page 324. 

Let us bring to the reception of the sacrament of 
penance a fitting preparation. For that purpose : 

1. Let us fervently implore the Holy Spirit. 

2. Let us carefully examine our conscience. 

3. Let us excite ourselves to contrition for our sins. 

4. Let us form a firm resolution to avoid them for 
the time to come and to shun their occasions. 

5. Let us renew our confidence in God, remembering 
that, in his infinite bount}^, he ardently desires to par- 
don us. 

— But in order to make this preparation well : 

1. Let us pray often to know the state of our con- 
science. 

2. Let us make the daily examination seriously. 

3. Let us meditate frequently on the truths best cal- 
culated to excite our contrition. 

4. Let us be convinced of the goodness of God. 

5. Let us enter into the heart of Jesus, consider his 
compassion toward us poor sinners, and his desire to 
give us grace. 



NINETEENTH MEDITATION 
CONTRITION 

A contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Ps. 1. 19. 

CONSIDERATION 

Let us be well convinced of the necessity of contri- 
tion to obtain the pardon of our sins. All the doctors 
of the Church are unanimous on this point. Contri- 
tion, properly so-called, or attrition, is an essential part 
of the sacrament of penance : nothing can supply its 
want. There is pardon for every sin only on condition 
of sorrow and repentance. God, indeed, wishes to for- 
get our faults, but he requires that we sincerely bewail 
them, and that we be resolved never more to commit 
them. No, there is no forgiveness without contrition. 
He who does not heartily bewail his offences need not 
hope that they will be forgotten by God. 

Contrition, to be sincere and capable of reconciling 
us with heaven, must have certain qualities upon which 
it is important for us to meditate. Contrition must be 
interior, that is, it must proceed from the heart, from 
the depths of the soul. It is the heart that has sinned, 
it is the will that has revolted against God. Conse- 
quently the heart must weep, the will must strive to 
repair the guilt of its hateful rebellion. Mere words on 

433 



434 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the lips will not suflBce for the validity of this sacra- 
ment: it is necessary that the soul really detest its 
faults^ and express its regret in such words as these: 
"My God^ I am heartily sorry for having offended 
thee/^ Such was the contrition of the royal prophet 
when he said: There is no peace for my bones, because 
of my sins^ 

Contrition must be supernatural; it must proceed 
from the Holy Ghost, have God, or what concerns God, 
for its motive, and to some extent, comprise the love of 
God. We must regret sin because it offends our Sover- 
eign Lord, outrages his perfections, breaks his law, 
contemns his authority, and abuses his gifts. We must 
regret sin because by committing it we have displeased 
our Father, wounded his heart, and provoked his in- 
dignation. We must regret sin because it is a hideous 
thing, abominable in the sight of God and his angels, 
and unworthy of the soul which commits it, which it 
disfigures, impoverishes and dishonors. 

We must regret sin because, if it is mortal, it causes 
us to lose heaven; and, if it is venial, it retards our 
entrance therein. The soul that is defiled by it cannot 
be admitted into the abode of supreme felicity. To it 
is said: "Depart into the flames, there to weep over 
what thou has not sufficiently wept for, to mourn over 
what thou hast not sufficiently mourned.^^ Mortal sin 
opens the abyss of everlasting misery, and casts the 
50ul into it. my God, how can I help having the 
most bitter sorrow for having committed it, and com- 
mitted it so often? It has made me deserving of the 
devouring fires enkindled by thy justice ! It has pre- 

^Ps. xxxvii. 4. 



MEDITATIONS OK OUR LAST END 435 

pared a place for me in those fiery dungeons in which 
the enemies of thy name are confined forever ! 

We must regret sin because it has caused the suffer- 
ings and the death of Jesus Christ. It was our oft'ences 
against his heavenly Father that made him the victim 
of expiation, the Man of Sorrows. It was our offences 
that caused his bitter tears, that occasioned his fatigues, 
and necessitated t:he shedding of his blood. How can 
we think of this without sincerely bewailing sin? 

Contrition must be sovereign, that is to say, we 
should be more grieved at the offence against God than 
at all other misfortunes that could befall us. Is not 
sin the greatest of evils? Is it not the only real evil? 
Where then can we find a juster subject for our tears? 
Xo, no ! there is nothing that deserves to be wept over 
if we do not weep over this misfortune, to which no 
other can be compared. Yet this sorrow need not be 
so sensible as that caused by the accidents of life. 
Nevertheless it ought to be no less real, and to put our 
will in a disposition to suffer everything rather than 
consent to sin. 

Contrition must be universal, extending rigorously 
to all our mortal sins without a single exception. All, 
in fact, are treasons against God, outrages of his per- 
fections ; all make us unworthy of heaven and deserving 
of hell. We must therefore be sorry for them all. 

But it should not be enough for a Christian, and 
much less for a religious, to be contrite for all the mor- 
tal sins that he may have committed. He should be 
sorry also for his venial sins, especially for those which 
he may have committed deliberately. Are they not all, 
in fact, offences against God ? Do they not all weaken 



436 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

grace? Do they not dispose to mortal sin? Do they 
not wound the heart of Jesus? Do they not disfigure 
the soul? Do they not close heaven against us during 
all the time that we are stained with them? Why do 
we not share the sentiments of the saints? ^Vhat sor- 
row they felt for venial sins^ and what penance they 
did for them ! Yes, let us detest all our sins, and sin- 
cerely resolve never more to commit them. 

True contrition supposes the firm purpose of never 
more offending God. He who sincerely repents of his 
sins, should be resolved never again to fall into them. 
He does not forget that this life is a perpetual warfare ; 
that in future, as in the past, he will be exposed 
to violent attacks from the enemy of his salva- 
tion; that he carries in himself the germ of the most 
dangerous temptations. But he knows also that God 
proportions grace to the dangers of his servants, and 
that he does not suffer them to be tempted beyond 
their strength. Therefore, full of confidence, he ex- 
claims: "It is done; I belong to God forever. Strong 
in the assistance of his grace, I will resist the devil, the 
world, and the flesh, and will persevere in the state of 
justice to which I shall be restored by absolution.^' 

APPLICATION 

In order to have true contrition, let us employ the 
means proposed by the masters of the spiritual life. 
Let us beg of God sincere repentance for our sins. Let 
us entreat him to give us copious tears to weep over 
our misfortune in offending him. Let us beseech our 
Lord to look upon us as he did on St. Peter in the 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 437 

house of Caiphas^ and to make iis^ like that apostle^ 
sincere penitents. 

Let US meditate attentively on the outrage which sin 
has inflicted on Jesus Christy our God and our Ee- 
deemer. Let us think how much our divine Savior suf- 
fered to expiate sin. Let us cast ourselves at the foot 
of his cross, look upon his wounds, see his blood trick- 
ling down, listen to his sighs^ and say to ourselves: 
Behold my worhl 

Let us think of the injury that sin has done to our- 
selves, and the punishment which it deserves. It 
degrades and disfigures the soul^ it closes heaven, it 
opens hell, or at least purgatory ; it causes much unhap- 
piness in this life, and infinitely more in the next. 

Let us form in the depths of our heart a resolution 
to* sin no more. God gives us the grace to do so, let 
us be faithful to it, and enter resolutely on the right 
path. Why should we hesitate ? Is not this the favor- 
able time ? Let us prove this, and after having said 
with the prodigal son in his repentance, I loill arise and 
will go to my Father^ let us add: "I will remain with 
him; nothing on earth or in heaven shall separate me 
from the love of Jesus Christ.^^ 

PEAYER 

Jesus, who will give me to weep for my sins as I 
ought? My heart cannot regret them enough, and 
therefore would I wish to have the hearts of all the 
penitent saints, that I might present to thee such satis- 
faction as would be pleasing to thee. 

^Luke XV. 18. 



438 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

I understand how criminal I have been^ and there- 
fore I will never cease to weep at the foot of thy cross. 
Would that I could there die of grief ! I should then 
die in the very act of paying homage to thy justice, 
and should thus deserve to experience in the next life 
the effects of thy infinite mercy. 

Resume, page 325. 

In order to receive pardon of our sins, we must have 
contrition for them, which should be: 

1. Interior, proceeding from the heart. 

2. Supernatural, produced by the Holy Ghost, hav- 
ing for motive God and the things of God. 

3. Sovereign, superior to all other sorrow. 

4. Universal, extending absolutely to all mortal sins, 
extending even to all venial sins. 

5. Accompanied by the firm purpose of sinning no 
more and of avoiding the occasions of sin. 

— In order that our contrition may have these quali- 
ties: 

1. Let us ask that favor of God. 

2. Let us meditate on the outrage that sin offers to 
him. 

3. Let us think of what Jesus Christ suffered for 
sin. 

4. Let us think of the evil which sin does to us and 
the punishment which it deserves. 

5. Let us be firmly resolved never more to commit it. 



TWENTIETH MEDITATION 
THE SENTIMENTS OF A REPENTANT SINNER 

Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. — 
Luke XV. 21. 

CONSIDEEATION 

I have sinned against the Lord} Who will give me 
tears to bewail my misfortune? I have offended the 
sovereign King, I have despised his supreme majesty. 
Dust and ashes, I have revolted against him who is 
everything; I^ a vile creature, have outraged the God 
whose power is unlimited, who is so great that in com- 
parison with him all creatures together are less than a 
grain of dust or an atom in comparison with the uni- 
verse. 

I have offended him in his presence, knowing well that 
he saw me, that he heard me. I have rebelled against 
him; I have declared war upon him, I have wished to 
dethrone him. I have caused the spirit of evil whom 
I have obeyed to reign in my heart in his stead. 

I have sinned; I have offended my Father who is in 
heaven, my Creator, my Benefactor, to whom I owe 
everything. He has loved me with infinite love, and 
I have despised him. He has lavished his mercies upon 
me, and I have answered his benefits by insult. What 
ingratitude ! how painful this thought is to me ! 

^Kings xii. 13. 
439 



440 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

My God ! liow afflicted I am at beholding my baseness ! 
I have been an nnnatiiral child, a parricide; and there^ 
fore my brow is covered with shame and my heart is 
broken with grief. 

I have sinned; I have withdrawn from God; I have 
lost God. What a loss ! God alone is my strength, 
my light, my repose, my consolation, my life; and he 
has abandoned me. Therefore my soul has languished 
in darkness, a prey to agitation, unrest, and suffering. 
My joys have been but a cloak to my sadness. My 
days have gone by in misery, weariness and desolation. 

It was, indeed, very different when I still possessed 
my innocence ! I then saw in thee, my God, only the 
most loving of fathers, and not, as now, a stern judge 
ready to condemn me. 

How senseless I have been I I have preferred the 
creature to the Creator, time to eternity, death to life ; 
and all this in order to obey the devil, to satisfy a 
guilty inclination, to procure for myself a miserable 
pleasure ! I have resisted the grace, by which God 
sought to hold me in the way of- righteousness. I have 
acted contrary to the light of my own understanding, 
contrary to the remorse of my conscience, contrary to 
the inspiration of my good angel guardian, who said to 
me : "What art thou about to do ? Stop, stop ?^ 

Behold what my conduct has been, and that so fre- 
quently that alas I I have every reason to say with 
David: My iniquities . . . are multiplied above 
the hairs of ray head.^ 

I have sinned. how cruel I have been to Jesus 
Christ ! I have oppressed his most holy soul with a 
^Ps. xxxix. 13. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 441 

sadness even unto death; I have caused his tears and 
his bloody sweat. I have delivered him up to his ene- 
mies. With them I have struck him, crowned him 
with thorns^ condemned and crucified him. 1 have 
taken my place with the executioners of my divine 
Savior. I have lacerated his innocent flesh. To relieve 
his burning thirst I have offered a bitter draught. By 
my ingratitude I have deeply wounded his hearty the 
heart that has loved me beyond all measure ! 

How cruel I have been to Mary, the august co-re- 
demptrix of the human race^, the companion of her di- 
vine Son in suffering! At the foot of the cross she 
called to me and to other sinners: all ye that pass 
hy the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like 
to my sorrow^ And I answered her not, except by 
adding to the weight of her sorrow^s. How the remem- 
brance of this malice now grieves me ! Mary, my 
good Mother, how deeply I regret having caused thee to 
shed tears, and having pierced thy soul with a sword 
of sorrow by sinning against thy divine Son ! 

I have sinned. I have deserted from the camp of 
Jesus Christ to that of the devil. I have given over 
into the hands of the enemy of my salvation all my 
rights to heaven. Another Esau, I have for a miserable 
gratification surrendered all my titles to my eternal 
inheritance. heaven, home of my companions iu 
religion, abode of perfect happiness, I have con- 
sented to be deprived of thy joys forever! Thou art 
closed against me. My eyes are unworthy to behold thy 
beauties ; for I have abandoned to another the place that 
was reserved for me within thy precincts. 
^Lam. i. 12. 



443 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

I have sinned; I have incurred a curse^ and it has 
fallen upon me. I have brought it also upon my rela- 
tives and neighbors. By one single sin I have started^ 
as it were, an infinity of evils ; and, alas ! I have com- 
mitted almost an infinity of sins. I have sinned. I 
have desecrated soul and body; I have completed the 
work of destruction. My soul is a mournful ruin. It is 
without grace or beauty before the Lord. It is stamped 
with the shameful seal of the master to whom it sur- 
rendered. Whoever looks upon it by the light of faith, 
sees that it is only a corpse. 

prophet, who didst mourn over the ruins of Jeru- 
salem, weep over my soul which is reduced to the ut- 
most desolation! I have sinned. I have deserved the 
torments reserved for sinners; I have merited the fire 
of hell. I am now suspended over that flaming abyss 
wherein a place is reserved for me. If death were to 
strike me now, as at this moment it strikes so many 
other men, what would be my fate? Transported sud- 
denly before thy tribunal, Sovereign Master, I should 
hear thee pronounce the sentence of my condemnation, 
a sufficient cause for the most frightful despair : Depart, 
thou accursed one, into everlasting fire^ 

APPLICATION 

Guilty as I am, should I not embrace with ardor 
the practice of penance? Should I not punish with 
severity my repeated acts of treason? And yet what 
is all that I can do compared to what my sins deserve? 
Though, to satisfy the justice of my God, I should 

^Matt. XXV. 41. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 443 

shed as many tears of blood as there are drops of water 
in the sea^ what satisfaction would I thereby offer and 
what proportion would it bear to the guilt of my sins? 

With the assistance of grace I will keep my sins 
continually before my eyes^, and strive to keep myself 
in sentiments of the profoundest confusion and hu- 
mility. I will recall the number and grievousness of 
my offences^ and will never cease to bewail them^, and 
ask pardon for them from God. I will bewail them 
from the bottom of my heart. With the penitent saints 
I will be inconsolable for having offended the God 
whom I love. 

In order to satisfy his justice I will accept with joy 
all the trials to which his Providence w^ill subject me, 
and I will mortify my inclinations and my senses as 
far as I may be permitted to do so. Above all, I will 
never more commit sin, and will carefully avoid its 
occasions. 

By acting thus I shall be restored to grace, and God 
will be merciful to me. He is a loving Father, and he 
would have us bewail our wanderings. But he himself 
will dry our tears, restore our innocence, re-establish 
us in his holy love and in all the rights we had lost 
by sin. 

PEAYER 

Jesus, merciful Savior, look down with compassion 
upon me. I have sinned, but I repent of it. Behold my 
tears, and take pity on me. For thy name^s sake, 
pardon thy repentant servant. Eemember that thou 
art my Savior, and save me. Grant that by repairing 



444 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

the wrongs of mj^ past life I may give as much joy to 
thy Sacred Heart as I have hitherto caused it grief and 
suffering. 

I ask this favor of thee through the intercession of 
thy most holy Mother, whom I invoke in the language 
of the Church: Refuge of sinners; pray for us. I 
beg it of thee also through the intercession of my holy 
angel guardian, who has been the witness of all my 
sins and of my resistance to divine grace. 

Resume, page 325. 

I have sinned. what a subject of sorrow ! 

1. I have offended God, I have insulted my Father! 

2. I have separated myself from God, my only good ! 

3. I have saddened Jesus ! I have wounded his heart ! 

unfortunate wretch ! I have joined his execution- 
ers to scourge him, to crown him with thorns, to crucify 
him ! 

4. I have given over to the devil my rights to heaven. 
If death were to come upon me, I should be cast into 
hell. 

5. I have become loathsome in the sight of God. 
Have I not drawn down his curse on my relatives? 
— Let me, then, be a true penitent: 

1. Having my sins constantly before my eyes. 

2. Eecalling to mind their number and their magni- 
tude. 

3. Eegretting them from the bottom of my heart. 

4. Punishing myself for having committed them. 

5. Never committing them any more, and carefully 
avoiding their occasions. 



TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION 
QUALITIES OF CONFESSION 

Go, show thyself to the priest. — Matt. viii. 4. 

COJfSIDEEATION 

To be good and profitable;, confession must have the 
requisite qualities; that is to say^, it must be humble, 
simple, prudent, and entire. Let us meditate on each 
of these qualities. 

Confession should be humble. We must accuse our- 
selves of our faults with sentiments of confusion and 
a consciousness of our guilt. Our sins are hideous 
w^ounds in the' soul and should naturally produce 
shame. Let us humble ourselves, then, as we show 
them to our physician, and let us testify as well as 
we can how great is our spiritual misery. 

Our accusation should not be made through routine 
or habit, but with a truly contrite heart, a heart grieved 
at its infidelities, a heart that feels the wrong which it 
has done to its Sovereign Master, and comes to him to 
ask forgiveness. Let us accuse ourselves with the con- 
viction that we are wretched creatures, unworthy of the 
pardon which we ask, and deserving only the vengeance 
of heaven. Let us put ourselves in the dispositions of 
the penitent saints who, with their sins massed before 
their eyes, begged the prayers of men and implored 
with tears the mercy of God. 

Let us be on our guard against pride. If this senti- 

445 



446 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

ment should ever be far from our souls^ it is surely 
when we come to confess our sins^, which are so hu- 
miliating for us as men, as Christians, and as religious. 
Let us trample self-love beneath our feet when it seeks 
to hide our faults even from ourselves. Let us remem- 
ber that we have come to accuse, not excuse, ourselves. 
It is not vanity, but hatred of ourselveS;, and our faults^ 
that should then reign in our souls. 

Confession should be simple. Let us carefully exam- 
ine ourselves in God^s presence^ and then make our- 
selves known to the confessor as we are known to our- 
selves. Let there be no ambiguity, no concealment^ 
no evasion in our accusation. Let us mention with 
frankness whatever our conscience makes a subject of 
reproach. Let us exaggerate nothing, and with still 
more reason, let us extenuate nothing. 

Confession should be prudent. Let us accuse our- 
selves in becoming words, in words that bear witness 
to our respect for the minister of Jesus Christ to whom 
we address ourselves. Let us not reveal the faults of 
another without necessity; for it is of ourselves that we 
should speak, not of our neighbor, unless the latter 
condition be indispensable to the integrity of the con- 
fession. 

Confession should be entire. When there is question 
of mortal sins, we are bound to confess all that we 
know after making a serious examination of conscience, 
and to accuse ourselves of them with all the circum- 
stances that might change their species. Hence, in 
mentioning certain sins, it is necessary to make known 
whether we have taken religious vows. In many cases, 
too, it may be necessary to state whether we have been 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 447 

an occasion of scandal to our community, our pupils, 
or any other persons. 

Let us always be most sincere in our confessions. 
We are guilty; let us then frankly avow it; it is of 
sin that we should be ashamed, and not of the confes- 
sion that we make of it. Let us be on our guard 
against the stratagems of the devil, who draws upon 
all his resources to make us conceal or disguise our 
faults, knowing that nothing can work us greater in- 
jury. 

Let us put away all confusion, all shame in regard 
to our confessor. Let us absolutely overcome our re- 
pugnance and reject from the beginning all apprehen- 
sion as to what he may think of us. What does it 
matter what he will think of us? We should now be 
concerned, not about the good or bad opinion that man 
may have of us, but simply about effecting our recon- 
ciliation with God. The confessor is there to hear us, 
whatever be our accusation. He is there to advise and 
absolve us. The frank and sincere declaration of our 
sins, however great they may be, will win his esteem. 
When God pardons us and restores us to favor, how can 
his minister remember the faults of which he was 
made the depository? The fear that he may recall 
them, is a dangerous suggestion of the devil which we 
must repel and against which we must put our pupils 
on their guard. It is a stratagem to which the spirit 
of lies resorts to cause us trouble and provoke the great- 
est disorders. Concealment leads infallibly to uneasi- 
ness and remorse, and if the sin withheld be mortal, 
the confession becomes sacrilegious. 

what a misfortune it is to make a sacrilegious con- 



448 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

fession^ and thereby profane the blood of Jesus Christy 
the victim for our sins! Alas! this crime is followed 
by a sacrilegious communion, which may so easily be 
the forerunner of our eternal ruin! 

Let our confessions, then, be entire. Let us culti- 
vate the sentiments of David, saying: I have acknowl- 
edged my sins to thee, and my injustice I have not 
concealed, and with him we shall be able to add : And 
thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin!' 

Let us, in confession, avoid certain faults that would 
be attended with evil consequences; such faults, for 
example, as : 1. Not to accuse ourselves of sins when we 
are not certain that they are only venial; 2. To accuse 
ourselves of venial sins without being sorry for them; 
it would be far more useful to confess only one venial 
sin provided we were truly sorry for it and wished to 
correct it, than to mention a great number in regard 
to which we had not these dispositions ; 3. To give way 
to scruples, always being afraid that we had not ex- 
pressed ourselves with sufficient clearness or had not 
had proper contrition ; 4. To be engaged in searching our 
memory for forgotten sins, instead of listening with at- 
tention to the advice of our confessor. On all these 
points let us follow exactly the directions given us, 
and we shall thus draw from this sacrament all the 
fruits which it ought to produce in our souls. 

APPLICATION 

Let us carefully study the doctrine of the Church on 
the sacrament of penance, that we may know well our 
*Ps. xxxi. 5. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 449 

obligations on that head. Let us form a just appre- 
ciation of the ofRce of the priest in the holy tribunal. 
To this end let us contemplate it from the standpoint 
of faith. Let us behold, in the minister of the sacra- 
ment, Jesus Christ himself, who knows the interior of 
our souls, and who is willing to pardon us if we confess 
our sins with sincere and contrite hearts. 

Let us be zealous in training our pupils to make 
good confessions. Let us inspire their minds with the 
greatest horror of concealment. But let us first of all 
put in practice the lessons which we give them. Let 
us bear in mind that if it be painful to confess our 
guilt at the holy tribunal, surely the grace of recon- 
ciliation which we hope to obtain deserves that we 
should make this sacrifice with a generous heart. 

Let us be thoroughly convinced that the shame of 
accusing ourselves to a priest who is bound to the most 
inviolable secrecy, is not to be compared with that which 
we shall feel on the last day, when we are known as 
guilty before Jesus Christ the Sovereign Judge, and 
before the whole universe. He who wishes to spare 
himself the first humiliation, consents to incur the 
second ! There is only one way of preventing this 
awful final manifestation;, and that is to confess our 
sins sincerely and do penance for them. 

Let us think of the anguish of many now in hell, 
who could be already in heaven if they had courage- 
ously confessed their sins. How bitterly do they now 
deplore that criminal silence to which they trace back 
all their miseries ! When shipwrecked, a plank 
was offered them, and in the place of seizing it they 
suffered themselves to be buried beneath the waves ! 



450 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

And now all is lost ! Let their misfortune instruct ns 
and nerve ns to brave everything to avoid the like end. 

PEAYER 

sweet Savior^ take pity on me who am^ alas ! sub- 
ject to so many miseries. I have recourse to thee, 
heavenly Physician of my soul, to be cured of my 
spiritual maladies. I am about to make use of one of 
the salutary remedies which thou hast prepared for me. 
grant that it may work all its effects in me, and that 
by it my soul may recover life, health, and strength ! 
This I beg of thee, by the wound in th)^ Sacred Heart 
and by the intercession of all the penitent saints with 
whom I hope one day to celebrate thy infinite mercies 
in heaven. 

Resume, page 326. 

It is necessary that our confessions be : 

1. Humble, made with sorrow and confusion. 

2. Simple, being confined to our sins as we know 
them. 

3. Prudent, respectful, decorous. 

4. Entire; comprising, at least, mortal sins, with all 
their aggravating circumstances. 

5. Conformable to the direction given us. 

— That our confessions may have these qualities, it 
is necessary: 

1. To know well what relates to the sacrament of 
penance. 

2. To form a just idea of the ministry of the priest 
in the holy tribunal. 

3. To be seized with horror at the very idea of a sac- 
rilegious confession. 

4. To think of the regrets of so many of the damned, 
who deplore not having had courage to confess their 
crimes. 

5. To reflect that on the last day the sins hidden in 
confession shall be unveiled before the eyes of the whole 
world. 



TWENTY-SECOND MEDITATION 
SATISFACTION 

Owe no man anything. — Rom. xiii. 8. 
COXSIDEEATION 

x^lthough absolution remits the eternal punishment 
clue to sin, there generally remains a temporal punish- 
ment which the sinner must undergo to repair the in- 
jury done to God^ and there may be also the duty of 
repairing the injury done to his neighbor. This double 
reparation is called satisfaction. It consists principal- 
ly in the penance imposed by the confessor^ which^ as 
far at least as the disposition of performing it is con- 
cerned^ is an essential part of the sacrament. Let 
us accept it willingly^ and always perform it promptly, 
exactly and piously. 

And what is this penance if compared with our 
deserts? Let us think of the greatness of God, whom 
we have outraged, the severity of his judgments, and 
the punishment endured in hell by the unhappy vic- 
tims of his justice. how trifling is the punishment 
inflicted upon us, and from how many torments does 
it not deliver us ! 

Let us reflect on what Jesus suffered to atone for 
our sins. Would we wish him to complain of us: I 
loohed for one that would grieve together with me, hut 

451 



452 MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 

there tvas iione/ I have trodden the winepress alone?' 
He who is innocent takes upon himself the burden that 
we ought to bear^ and we who are guilty are unwilling 
to share it with him! 

Let us not content ourselves with the penance im- 
posed by our confessor, for we should then prove that 
we did not appreciate the grievousness of our faults, 
nor the reparation which they require; but let us add 
other works in satisfaction for our sins. Is it not thus 
that all the saints have acted? What severities did 
they not practise upon themselves ! How they crucified 
their flesh, contradicted their inclinations, and vigorous- 
ly combatted their passions ! What tears did they not 
shed at the remembrance of their sins, and with what 
sentiments of compunction did they not present them- 
selves before God, to implore his mercy ! 

Let us call to mind the life of the holy anchorites, 
St. Anthony, St. Hilarion, St. Bessarion, St. Jerome, 
and so many others whose penitential austerities appear 
almost incredible. how their example reproaches 
our cowardice! What do we do that in any way ap- 
proaches their conduct? And yet, have we not more 
grounds than they to grieve over the past? 

In imitation of their example, and in union with 
Jesus Christ, through whom alone our works of satis- 
faction have merit before God, let us practise works of 
penance, the principal of which are prayer, mortifica- 
tion of our senses, mortification of our inclinations, 
labor, obedience to our rules, and the giving of edifica- 
tion. Let us pray that we may find grace before the 
God whom we have offended; let us implore his mercy 

^Ps. Ixvii. 21. ^Isai. Ixiii. 3. 



MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 453 

without ceasing. When assisting at the holy sacrifice 
of Mass, let us ask forgiveness through the adorable 
Victim who mystically offers upon the altar, in sacri- 
fice for our sins, that redeeming blood which he once 
shed upon Mount Calvary, and which, unlike that of 
Abel, rises to heaven only to ask for mercy. 

Let us mortify our senses, for they have been the 
instruments of sin, which always begins in them. 
They have served the purposes of sin; let us then 
punish them. Let us impose the most watchful 
modesty upon our eyes, whose wandering glances have 
been so fatal to us. Let us mortify our palate, by which 
we have so often gratified our sensuality. Let us close 
our ears to vain or idle conversation, since we have so 
often used them to listen to language that was blame- 
able, perhaps even licentious. Let us in all circum- 
stances combat our love of ease, our delicacy, and the 
inclinations of the flesh, to which we have already 
granted too much indulgence, and which, unless checked, 
would draw us into a course full of dangers and lead- 
ing ultimately to the abyss of evil. 

Let us mortify our mind in all its faculties, remem- 
bering that all of them have been used against God. 
Let us control our imagination, w^hich has called up 
before us so many dangerous images. Let us bring our 
memory under control that it may recall holy thoughts 
and salutary recollections. Let us employ our under- 
standing to study our duties and not to gratify our 
curiosity. Let us sacrifice our self-love; let us learn to 
renounce our own will and be subject to that of another. 
Let us keep ourselves in sentiments of profound hu- 
mility, and striking our breasts, say with the publican 



454 l^CEDITATIOXS ON OUR LAST END 

in the Gospel: God, he merciful to me, a sinner^ 
Let us mortify our heart, curbing its inclinations and 
opposing it unceasingly. Let us love creatures only in 
God and for God. Let us have no other sentiments 
than those of the adorable heart of Jesus. Then we 
shall satisfy for whatever may have been vicious or too 
natural in our affections. 

Let us perform in the spirit of faith, courage, and 
constancy, the duties entrusted to us, remembering that 
in consequence of man's first sin was the sentence pro- 
nounced: In the siveat of thy face shalt thou eat bread f 
Let us accept with resignation the trials and afflictions 
of life which in the views of Providence are most pre- 
cious opportunities for satisfying the justice of God. 
In our trials let us say with St. Augustine: ^"^0 Lord, 
strike, burn and cut in this life, but pardon me, and 
spare me in eternity.^' 

Let us faithfully observe our rules: for us religious 
they are the true means of expiating our faults, the 
means which include all others, and which no others 
can supply. Let us subject ourselves to a regular life, 
and appreciate most highly those practices that are 
most repugnant, most painful to nature. Let us never 
forget that we have assumed a penitential habit, and 
that our life should be one of trial and sacrifice. 

Let us always give good example, that we may repair 
our sins of scandal. Let us edify our community, our 
pupils, and strangers. N'othing will give better proof 
that we belong wholly to God, and that we now have 
at heart to procure him as much glory as we formerly 
brought dishonor on his perfections by our offences. 
^Luke xviii. 13. ^^en. iii. 10. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 455 

How advantageous it will be to us to follow this course 
of conduct, by which we shall acquit ourselves in this 
world of what we owe to God's justice, and shall merit 
to experience in the next only the effects of his mercy 
and generosity ! 

APPLICATION 

Let us keep ourselves in the spirit of penance. For 
this purpose let us often reflect on what divine Justice 
has a right to exact from us. Let us meditate on the 
sufferings which in the next life are tlie ivages of sin, 
and let us compare with them what we have to suffer 
in our state and what we can add thereto. Let us 
then ask ourselves, what is all this when compared with 
what the souls in purgatory endure? What is it when 
compared with the sufferings of the damned ? 

Let us contract the holy habit of offering our ac- 
tions to God, and of accepting our trials in satisfac- 
tion for our sins. Let us endeavor to gain as often as 
possible the indulgences granted by the Church. Per- 
haps, alas ! we have been negligent in this respect. How 
little we realize our own interest, and how greatly we 
will one day lament that we did not draw freely from 
this spiritual treasure, by which we could so easily have 
discharged our debts to God! Let us think of the 
regret of the soul which, after having acted as we act, 
appears before the Sovereign Judge and hears his de- 
cision : ^^Go into the fires that are the just punishment 
for thy sins, from which thou shalt not go out . . . 
till thou pay the last farthing.^ 
^Matt. V. 26. 



456 MEDITATTOXS OX OUR LAST EXD 

PEAYEK 

I adore thee, Jesus, spotless Victim, who didst 
expiate our sins by thy sufferings and death upon the 
cross. grant that, in union with thee, I may atone 
for all the sins I have had the misfortune to commit ! 
Give me, I beg of thee, a spirit of true penance, which, 
taking the part of divine justice against myself, may 
move me to pass my days and nights in sorrow and 
tearS;, and may merit for me thy mercy in the life to 
come. 

Resume, page 326. 

Let us call to mind in what satisfaction consists. 

Let us each time perform our penance promptly, ex- 
actly, and piouslj^ 

But as it is nothing compared to what our sins de- 
serve, let us add to it other works of satisfaction : 

1. Prayer, assisting at the holy sacrifice. 

2. Fasting, mortification of the senses. 

3. Interior mortification. 

4. Labor with a view to offer satisfaction to God. 

5. Eesignation in our trials, fidelity to our Eules. 
— Let us make it a practice : 

1. To think often of what Ave owe to divine justice. 

2. To compare the expiations of the other life with 
those which are prescribed in this. 

3. To offer our actions to God in a spirit of penance. 

4. To bless him in all our pains and trials. 

5. To endeavor to gain indulgences either for our- 
selves or for the souls in purgatory. 



TWENTY-THIRD MEDITATION 
AVOIDING THE OCCASIONS OF SIN 

If thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast 
it from thee.— Matt. v. 29. 

COJs^SIDEEATION 

It is not sufficient to wish to avoid sin^ we must also 
be resolved to avoid its occasions, at. every cost. With- 
out this disposition we have no true and firm purpose 
of amendment. 

He who says : "I hate sin, but I do not hate its occa- 
sions," is deceiving himself. He has no Avish to get 
well who continues to use the food that made him sick. 
He has no real desire to retain his liberty who impru- 
dently goes into the midst of his enemies. He who 
throws himself into the fire gives ample proof of his 
desire to burn. Indeed, to take pleasure in and seek 
after the occasions of sin is really to take pleasure in 
and seek after sin itself. Let us then shun such occa- 
sions with the greatest care. Every consideration makes 
this a duty for us. 

In the first place, it is the command of Jesus Christ. 
Does he not say, in fact: // thy right eye cause thee 
to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is 
letter for thee that one of thy members should perish, 
than that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And 

457 



458 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

he continues: And if thy right hand cause thee to 
offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is tetter 
for thee that one of thy members should perish, than 
that thy whole body should go into hell!' What could 
be more explicit ? If we are disciples of Christ and wish 
to obey him^ we must then withdraw from the occa- 
sions of sin^ however much it may cost nature to do so. 

The Holy Ghost lays the same command upon us in 
several passages of Holy Scripture. Thus he speaks in 
the book of Ecclesiasticus : He that loves the danger 
shall perish in it! And in another place he says : He 
that breaheth a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.^ Woe^ 
then^ to the imprudent man who throws himself into 
the occasion of sin ! He loves the danger^ he will perish 
in it; he breaks down the hedge^ he will be bitten by 
the infernal serpent. How he will one day deplore his 
rashness ! 

God gives us^ in superabundance, grace to avoid 
dangerous occasions; but if we resist that grace, if we 
wilfully go into the danger, will he give us in super- 
abundance the grace that will then be necessary? And 
even if he does give it, will we make it efficacious since 
we have already failed to correspond to the preceding 
grace ? Let us call to mind what is written : Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God! Now, to throw 
oneself into the danger, presuming on divine assistance, 
is tempting God. 

jSTo, no ! let us not play with the fire ; let us dread 
what has been a cause of temptation to us. Above all, 
let us fear when we are not following the path of 

^Matt. v. 29, 30. =Ecclus. iii. 27. ^Ibid. x. 8. 
*Matt. iv. 7. 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST EXD 459 

obedience, when our superiors know not where we are, 
what we are doing, and with whom we are conversing. 
Let us listen to the admonition of our good angel w^ho 
whispers to our conscience: ^^Take care, you are ex- 
posing yourself; turn back, for this road leads to 
ruin/^ How many falls, alas ! have been ours because 
we have not followed his inspirations ! Let us, then, 
profit by our own experience. 

Let us understand how great is our weakness, and 
how powerful are our inclinations to evil ! Wlien re- 
moved from the occasions of offending God, we think we 
can triumph over the enemy of our salvation, and we 
say to our Lord, with St. Peter: Though all men shall 
be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized,^ I 
am ready to go tvith thee both into prison and to 
death. ^ But when the occasion comes, our apparent 
strength vanishes : the soul is agitated, the devil pushes 
it to the brink of the precipice, and it topples over. 

That is what has happened to us, and that is what 
will happen again if we take the same risks. We have 
not more strength to resist our passions than had the 
holy king David, and yet a dangerous occasion proved 
fatal to him. We are not wiser than Solomon, yet oc- 
casions of sin ruined him ! We are not more courage- 
ous than St. Peter, and yet, w^hen the dangerous occa- 
sion arose, he denied his Master at the voice of a servant 
maid. How many persons of distinguished piety have 
fallen into the abyss of iniquity ! If we go back to the 
source, we shall find that it was because they impru- 
dently entered an occasion of offending God. 

Let their fall instruct us, and make us watchful over 
^Matt. xxvi. 33. ^Luke xxii. 33. 



460 MEDITATIOXS OX OUR LAST END 

our conduct. Their misfortune may become ours if 
we act like them; "for/^ says St. Augustine^ ^^there is 
no sin that one man has committed that another may 
not commit/' "Watch over yourselves at all times, and 
in all places/' says St. Syncletica, "and reckon not so 
much upon your past virtue as to expose yourselves im- 
prudently to the dangerous occasions of sin. There 
have been solitaries who, after having triumphed over 
the devil by repelling assaults of every kind, have been 
vanquished by exposing themselves to temptations under 
pretext of piety. The enemy caught them, as birds are 
taken by grains of wheat laid in a snare.^' 

All the doctors of the Church teach that avoiding 
the occasions of sin is a necessary means to avoid sin 
itself, and that to go into the proximate occasion of 
sin is itself an offence against God, and in some cir- 
cumstances a very grievous one. 

APPLICATION 

Fully convinced of the necessity of avoiding dan- 
gerous occasions, let us give an account to ourselves of 
all we meet. Let us examine what may be hurtful to 
us by leading us into evil. Let us reflect on the injunc- 
tions contained in our rules, which manifest a prudence 
truly supernatural. Let us bear in mind the urgency 
with which our holy Founder recommends us to have no 
intimacy with externs, to refrain from touching chil- 
dren, and to avoid all undue familiarity. It was be- 
cause he knew the danger to which we should be ex- 
posed if we forgot these important points. 

Let us be guided by the director of our conscience 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END ^(31 

when he warns us that such a thing is a source of dan- 
ger to us. He knows us; he knows our tendencies^, the 
nature of our temptations, and consequently 'what 
might be hurtful to our souls. When we, too, know 
that any circumstances are occasions of sin, or even of 
temptation, let us carefully avoid them ; let us withdraw 
far from them without delay. Let us not, however, 
fall into scruples; neither let us form a false or rash 
conscience. 

Let us make the examen of foresight usual among 
us, and faithfully keep the resolutions adopted in it. 
Let us watch over our senses, and particularly over our 
eyes. Like Job, let us make a covenant with our eyes, 
so as to have no bad thoughts. Let us avoid worldly 
society, strictly observing the prescriptions of our rules 
on this point. how many falls regularity will pre- 
vent! How many persons there are who have left re- 
ligion, and who would have been a glory to it, if they 
had avoided worldly society as their superiors had rec- 
ommended ! 

Let us watch over our heart and distrust its affec- 
tions, which may expose us to great danger. Our nature 
inclines us to evil. Everything around is a snare to 
us; to fail in vigilance would mean ruin. Let us, then, 
be prudent as serpents, as Jesus Christ counsels. Let 
us courageously cast away from us whatever might lead 
"US to evil. What matters the opinion of men ? It is 
not a question of their opinion, but of our salvation. 

PKAYEE 

Jesus, who commandest us to avoid all occasions 
of sin to us, grant me, I beseech thee, the grace to 



462 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

correspond faithfully and courageously to all thy wishes. 
Give me the spirit of fortitude and prudence, so that 
avoiding the snares of the enemy, I may constantly 
advance in the path of justice until I come to thee, in 
whom I shall find my recompense for eternity. 

Resume, page 327. 

It is not enough to wish to avoid sin, it is necessary 
to shun its occasions. 

1. Jesus Christ commands us to withdraw from 
everything that might be an occasion of sin. 

2. The Holy Ghost has said: "He who loves the 
danger shall perish in it.^' 

3. We have in superabundance the grace to avoid the 
occasion; but if we expose ourselves to it, shall we then 
have the grace not to sin? 

4. Wliat does experience tell us on this subject ? 

5. All the Doctors of the Church teach that flight 
from dangerous occasions is the indispensable means of 
avoiding sin. 

— It is necessary, then : 

1. To enlighten ourselves on what is for us an occa- 
sion of offending God. 

2. To avoid it resolutely and at any cost. 

3. To make ourselves well known to our spiritual 
director, and faithfully follow his advice. 

4. To watch over our senses, to shun the world. 

5. To watch over our heart, remembering that natural 
affection is, alas ! very near to criminal alf ection. 



TWENTY-FOURTH MEDITATION 

NECESSITY AND QUALITIES OF CONVERSION 

Be converted . . . with all your heart. — Joel ii. 12. 

CONSIDEKATIO?^ 

Let us be converted; let us be renewed in spirit. 
Let us return to the path of virtue, the only one that 
we should follow, the only one that leads to happiness. 
If we have been going to the left, let us turn to the 
right: God himself commands us to do so. Let us 
hearken to his voice in Holy Scripture : Turn to the 
Lord, and forsalce thy sins^ Let men turn every one 
from his evil way, and from the iniquity that is in 
their hands^. Be penitent . . . and he converted, 
that your sins may he hlotted out.^ Delay not to he 
converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
day. For his wrath shall come on a sudden; and in 
the time of vengeance he will destroy thee,*' 

Xo, no ! let us not delay ; let us be converted at once. 
God now gives us the grace; but who knows that he 
will give it to-morrow, or at least that he will give it 
in the same abundance ? Who knows that there will be 
a morrow for us ? Who knows that we shall then wish 
to be converted? We are masters neither of grace nor 

^Ecclus. xvii. 21. -Jonas iii. 8. ^Acts iii. 19. 

*Ecclus. V. 8, 9. 

463 



464 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

of time; we cannot be sure of our future dispositions. 
What, then, can justify us in putting off our return 
to God? 

To-day we hear the voice of grace; let us, then,., not 
harden our hearts. Since the circumstances are favor- 
able, let us eagerly take advantage of them: perhaps 
if we delay they will not present themselves again, and 
our ruin will be complete. God has promised forgive- 
ness to repentance, but he has not promised us another 
day in which to do penance. Let us reflect on this ; and 
take care not to put off till to-morrow what we should 
do to-day. imprudence, guilt of deferring ' one^s 
conversion ! To do so, is to risk one^s eternal happiness, 
to give proof of love for sin, to despise the Lord and his 
graces, to sleep on the brink of the abyss of hell, into 
which death may precipitate one at any moment. 

We say that we hate sin; why then do we suffer it 
to remain in us? We say that we wish to belong wholly 
to God ; why then not belong to him at once ? Does 
not the putting off of our conversion mean that we wish 
to give him only the dregs of our life? Is it not tanta- 
mount to casting in the face of the Sovereign Lord of 
all things the insolent statement that he does not de- 
serve the consecration of our whole being? It is a most 
odious blasphemy in act, even though it be not formu- 
lated in words. 

To defer our conversion is to presume that the i3a- 
tience and goodness of God will suffer us to continue 
to offend him. how much reason has he not to say 
to us: Is tluj eye evil, because I am goodf or in the 
language of St. Paul : Despisest thou the riches of his 
^Matt XX. 15. 



MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 465 

goodness, and patience and long-suffering? Knoivest 
iliou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to 
penance?^ What an abuse of the clemency of God to 
make use of it to strengthen ourselves in iniquity ! 

JsTo^ no ! let us not defer our conversion. How little 
time is left us to repair the evil that we have done, 
and to accomplish the good that we ought to do ! Be- 
hold with what frightful rapidity life flits by; our 
career is drawing to a close; death is within a few 
paces of us. How can we hesitate to traverse the short 
distance that leads to heaven ! Let us be converted in 
heart, and not merely in words. It was the heart that 
gave birth to sin, and it is the heart that must destroy 
it. It is with the heart that we strayed away from 
God, and it is with the heart that we must return to 
him. 

We must love what we have hated, and hate what we 
have loved. The detestation of sin, the horror of sin, 
should know no limit in our souls. Let us remember 
what the Lord says to us by the prophet Joel : Be con- 
verted to me with all your heart . . . rend your 
hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord 
your God, for he is gracious and merciful, patient and 
rich in mercy ^ 

Let us be converted not only in heart but in deed. 
We have given scandal, we must give edification. We 
have been seen travelling on the road to perdition, we 
must now be found advancing in the way of salvation. 
Moreover, the dispositions of the heart are necessarily 
translated into action. If we are sincerely converted 
we shall prove it by the faithful observance of our rules, 
^Rom. ii. 4. =Joel ii. 12, 13. 



466 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST END 

by our modestj^^ by avoiding the occasions of sin, by 
abandoning everything that conld be a source of temp- 
tation to us. 

Let us be converted forever. Let us enter on the right 
path, and never abandon it. The motives that we have 
to avoid sin to-day are motives for avoiding it to-mor- 
row and every day of our life. We return to God be- 
cause he is good;, because sin displeases us, and because 
we wish to save our souls. But God is always good, 
sin is always hateful, and we should always wish the 
salvation of our souls. We should, then, abandon sin 
forever. 

Why should we return again to the vomit? Why, 
after having been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb, 
should we again wallow in the filth of iniquity? What 
an abuse of grace ! What an insult to Jesus Christ ! 
No, no; let us not again be guilty. After having re- 
turned to our heavenly Father, let us remain faithful 
to him till death. 

APPLICATION 

Let us ask God for the grace of true conversion, for 
conversion of heart and of exterior and interior conduct. 
Let us ask it of him through the intercession of the 
penitent saints, those courageous souls who, after having 
had the misfortune to offend him, return'fed to him, 
never more to be separated from him. 

Let us faithfully correspond to this grace; let us sin 
no more. Let us flee from the camp of the devil and 
put ourselves under the standard of the cross, by the 



MEDITATIONS OX OUR LAST END 4G7 

side of our divine Leader. Let us give heed to him as 
he calls upon us to fight with him against the enemies 
of our salvation^ and to share in the glory of his 
triumph. Let us reflect on the shortness of life, the 
uncertainty of the future, the proximity of death; and 
take care not to put off to the future what we should 
do now. 

Let us listen to Jesus Christ "urging us to make 
our salvation sure, telling us that he will come at an 
hour when we shall least expect him, that he will sur- 
prise us as the waters of the deluge surprised the men 
of that day, as the fire from heaven surprised the in- 
habitants of Sodom. Let us repudiate the sentiments 
of the rich man of the Gospel, who said to himself: 
Tliou hast much goods laid up for many years; take 
thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to 
him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of 
thee,^ what a misfortune if, when he will demand 
ours, he shall find it still entangled in the meshes of 
sin. Let us think of this and prevent it. 

Let us listen to Mary, our good Mother in heaven, 
urging us to be converted, entreating us to apply the 
merits of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to our souls, to 
give joy to his divine heart by a sincere return to vir- 
tue, and thus to procure for herself the greatest satis- 
faction which she can receive from our hands. Let us 
listen to the Church also which never ceases to call 
upon us in a thousand ways to abandon sin, to return 
to God, and persevere in his holy grace, which alone 
can gain for us admission into the abode of the blessed. 
'Luke xii. 19, 20. 



468 MEDITATIONS ON OUR LAST EXD 

PRAYER 

my God, how shall I say to-morrow? Why not 
be converted to-day, at this very instant, since thon 
givest me the grace requisite? Yes, be it so. Behold, 
Lord, I am thine, wholly thine, and forever. Like 
Saul, when thrown to the ground on the road to Da- 
mascus, I say to thee: Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do?^ And like him, I will always be disposed to say: 
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be 
able to separate us from the love of Ood, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord.' Amen. 

Resume, page 327. 

Let us be converted: 

1. Really, quitting sin altogether. 

2. Promptly, without any delay. 

3. Heartily, hating sin, and loving only God. 

4. In deed, acting henceforth as true religious, faith- 
fully observing our Rules, shunning the occasions of 
sin. 

5. Forever, remaining faithful till death. 
— For this purpose: 

1. Let us ask grace of God. 

2. Let us correspond with it faithfully and courage- 
ously. 

3. Let us think of the shortness of life, the uncer- 
tainty of the future, the nearness of death. 

4. Let us give ear to Jesus Christ, who is eager to 
secure our salvation and apply to us the merits of his 
sacrifice. 

5. Let us hearken to Mary, let us hear the Church 
telling us: ^^Delay not to be converted to the Lord/^ 

*Acts ix. 6. ^om. viii. 39. 

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